In this article, I aim to explain the basic cosmology we are given in the scriptures detailing various regions of the world (the earth, heaven, spiritual prisons, etc.), as well as the plan of salvation (the journey our soul’s take from the premortal life, to earth, to the after life).

In short, here is a diagram of the plan of salvation:
note: the plan of salvation is not my idea, this is just vanilla Mormon doctrine, which I have found to be the most detailed and accurate and extremely well supported by the Bible (though if you have gone through this website you will see I am critical of the present Mormon church).

Though we only received our bodies on this earth, our souls go back into the premortal life. This we cannot remember due to the veil and only know of through the scriptures. After death, our souls will wait until resurrection and the final judgement. In this waiting period, if we accepted Jesus Christ during out mortal life, we will be able to dwell somewhat within his presence in “Paradise”, while everyone else dwells in “Prison”. In this period, missionaries preach to the souls in Prison who never had the opportunity to accept Jesus, who are granted an opportunity to accept him as their savior through baptism of the dead. Finally, we are resurrected and go through the final judgment, in which our kingdom of glory is determined (Celestial kingdom is the highest, then Terrestrial, and finally Telestial). People also can go to outer darkness – which has no glory – but only under specific conditions: one has to be fully enlightened of the truth through the holy ghost, but still choose to reject it. Outer darkness mainly is the realm where Satan and his angels dwell.

To go into more depth on the nature of these kingdoms: those who are valiant in their testimony of Christ and are overcomers go to the celestial kingdom. Those who still believe in Christ but aren’t overcomers or valiant go to the Terrestrial kingdom. Those who never accept Christ in this world or the next, but still don’t deny the holy ghost either, go to the Telestial kingdom. As a side note: those in the celestial kingdom and terrestrial kingdom are resurrected at the start of the millennium, while everyone else is resurrected at the end of the millennium. Don’t worry, I will include scriptures supporting all of these ideas later in this article.

Essentially, the plan of salvation maps our souls journey through time. Now, I would like to zoom into what I believe is the order of the cosmos at this specific time. This is mostly just my own personal ideas (founded on scripture), but it remains relevant in explaining supernatural events.

Lets start with Earth: Earth has a physical plane – where our bodies are located, and a spiritual plane – where our souls are located. Every coordinate in the physical plane has an exact match in the spiritual plane. In the spiritual plane, we also find spirits and demonic entities that would not normally be visible to the naked eye.

Beyond earth, there is the region where God dwells: “Heaven”. In heaven there are regions that are more or less separated from God’s presence, and one’s ability to get closer to the throne of God will depend on their worthiness. Souls that haven’t been born yet still exist in God’s presence – so in heaven, and souls that accept Jesus Christ in this life likewise dwell in heaven upon death.

There also is a region where Souls who never accepted Christ in this life dwell known as prison. Since some of these individuals still lived honorable lives, and simply never had the opportunity to accept Christ, missionaries have been sent to this region to teach the gospel to the dead. This missionary work only started after the crucifixion – before the crucifixion this region was basically quarantined with no way for souls to cross in or out of it. Therefore at the moment, it appears that Souls theoretically can leave this region if they accept Christ, and souls from heaven can likewise travel to this area to preach the gospel. But souls who don’t accept Christ will be stuck in this region.

Satan also has his own region in heaven – you see, until the three days of darkness and the casting out of Satan’s hosts from the heavens to earth, Satan is still technically in heaven. Seeing however that we already know Souls who don’t accept Christ can’t enter the region where God dwells, it seems unlikely Satan can either. Therefore, (in my view) this is a separate region from God’s region of heaven. This region may overlap with the region where Souls dwell that didn’t accept Christ.

We also learn in the Scriptures that God has prepared a prison to keep Satan and his Angels. Satan is only cast there once the millennium starts, so I assume the Prison already exists, but it is empty.

Finally, we learn in the scriptures that God has in fact created worlds without number. However, we don’t get much detail on the nature of these worlds. Suffice it to say that there is vastly more in heaven than I have described thus far.

So that is the cosmos I get from the scriptures! You can stop reading if you like, or if you want to understand how I came to these conclusions, I will now present a few Scriptures that I believe support these points.

Premortal Life

Jeremiah 1:5
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Abraham 3:22–23
22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

Doctrine and Covenants 93:29
29 Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.

D&C 138:55-56 – sees souls chosen before birth to be leaders in the church
Alma 13:2-3 – priests are prepared from the foundations of the world for their role

Baptism for the Dead

1 Corinthians 15:29 – we learn of baptism for the dead.
Doctrine and Covenants 128:15–18 – baptism for the dead is necessary seeing many have died without baptism.
Malachi 4:5-6 – hearts of children turned to fathers – referencing how the children will perform baptisms for their ancestors.

Paradise and Prison prior to Judgement

The final judgement happens after the resurrection
John 5:28–29 – the resurrection occurs nearly simultaneously as the final judgement.
Revelation 20:13 – after the dead are raised from the earth, men are judged.
Alma 11:43–44 –  following the resurrection, men shall be judged

Scriptures referencing spirit prison and paradises
Luke 16:22–26 – there is a great gulf between those in paradise in prison prior to the resurrection.
Luke 23:43 – on the day of Jesus’s death he is with one of the thieves he was crucified with in paradise.
Alma 40:11–14 – in the waiting period between death and resurrection, souls either dwell in paradise or prison.

After Christ’s Crucifixion, the great work of preaching to the souls in prison commenced
1 Peter 3:18–20 – Christ taught the spirits in prison
1 Peter 4:6 – the Gospel was taught to them who were dead
D&C 138:57-58
57 I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead.
58 The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God,

Three Kingdoms of Glory

We learn first from Paul that there are three regions of heaven “kingdoms of glory” that men go to.
1 Corinthians 15:40-41
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 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.

John 14:2-3 –there are many mansions prepared for us in God’s house – implying many different regions of heaven.

Abraham 3:24–26 – men who keep their first estate have glory added unto them; men who keep their second estate also have glory added to them. Therefore, we see different levels of glory men can achieve after death.

In the Doctrine and Covenants we receive a bit more detail on the attributes of these regions:
Celestial Kingdom
D&C 76:50–70
“They are they who received the testimony of Jesus…
These are they whose bodies are celestial…
Wherefore, all things are theirs… These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever.”

Terrestrial Kingdom
D&C 76:71–80
“Behold, these are they who died without law;
And also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison… who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it.”

The Telestial Kingdom
D&C 76:81–89, 98–112
“These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus…
These are they who are thrust down to hell…
But shall be redeemed… and receive a glory… as the stars differ from the moon.”

Comparison of Glories
D&C 76:96–98
“The glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is one…
And the glory of the terrestrial is one… as the moon…
And the glory of the telestial is one… as the stars differ in glory.”

Can you enter the Celestial Kingdom if you are baptized for the dead?
No
D&C 76:71-79 – they died without the law, implying they didn’t receive the gospel in this life but accepted it while in spirit prison, nevertheless they were honorable men on earth. These are also those who were not valiant in the testimony of Christ.
D&C 88:99-100 – those who accept the gospel in spirit prison are resurrected at the second trump (which I believe is means the Terrestrial kingdom).

Yes
D&C 137:7–9 – if you died without accepting the gospel, but would have accepted it if given the opportunity, you can still get to the celestial kingdom.
D&C 45:54 – heathen nations who knew no law shall be part of the first resurrection.

Reconciling these two:My view is that most people who didn’t receive the gospel in the 21^st century (the internet age) did it of their own volition, and therefore will not be able to go to the celestial kingdom. However, in centuries past, many truly had no opportunity to accept the gospel and therefore these may still inherit the celestial kingdom if they accept it while taught in spirit prison. The following scripture gives greater detail on how it is determined who goes to which kingdom:

D&C 88:21–24 – if you are not able to abide the law of the celestial kingdom then you go to the terrestrial kingdom. If you cannot abide by the terrestrial law, then you go to the telestial kingdom. If you cannot abide by the telestial law you don’t go to any kingdoms of glory at all.

Just Believing in Christ versus having a Valiant Testimony
D&C 76:82–83 – if you don’t ever accept Christ (but still don’t deny the holy ghost) you go to the Telestial Kingdom.
D&C 76:78-79 – you accept christ but don’t have a valiant testimony in him, you go to the Terrestrial Kingdom.
D&C 78:53 – you need to overcome to go to the celestial kingdom. To me, addictions, are a primary thing that must be overcome. Therefore, one must be an overcomer against sin and have a valiant testimony to enter the Celestial kingdom.

Different Times of Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:22–24 – those who are Christ’s are resurrected first before the “end” implying a later final resurrection.
Revelation 20:4–6 – the righteous are resurrected prior to the millennium, everyone else is resurrected after the millennium.
John 5:28–29 – two different resurrections – a resurrection for the righteous and a resurrection for the wicked.
Mosiah 15:20–26 – only the righteous are resurrected in the first resurrection, implying a latter resurrection where the wicked are resurrected.

Greater Detail on Timing of Resurrections in Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants 76:64 – those who are part of the celestial kingdom receive the first resurrection.
Doctrine and Covenants 76:85 – those who are part of the telestial kingdom are resurrected in the final resurrection.

What about the Terrestrial Kingdom (which is worse than the celestrial but better than the telestial)? In the scriptures it appears that they are resurrected after those who are in the celestial kingdom but still at the start of the millenium:

D&C 88:99 – spirits in prison who received the gospel are resurrected only after those who were truly Christs, but still at the start of the millennium. It is assumed this is referring to the Terrestrial kingdom.

D&C 45:54 – some of the heathen who knew no law are resurrected in the first resurrection. Again, it is assumed this refers to the Terrestrial kingdom.

Question of Kingdoms Prior to Final Judgement
Seeing that Paul teaches us that the bodies of those who are in different kingdoms will literally manifest different types of glory, one can infer that we go to these kingdoms only following the resurrection. However, one scripture sort of contradicts this hypothesis:

2 Corinthians 12:2-4 we learn of a man who has already reached the “third” heaven – so before the final judgement

Therefore, my understanding is that there is a similar structure of kingdoms and levels within the heavenly realm even prior to the resurrection.

3 Levels Within Celestial Kingdom

Later in his life, Joseph Smith wrote a scripture detailing three levels in the Celestial kingdom. Personally, I am not totally sure whether this scripture is indeed true or not. But this analysis wouldn’t be complete without including it.  

Doctrine and Covenants 131:1-4
1 In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
2 And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
3 And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.
4 He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.

So, there is that singular scripture. It’s a bit tenuous, but I am trying to be as comprehensive as possible in explaining cosmology in this essay.

Outer Darkness

In Matthew we first here of the region “Outer Darkness” where the truly wicked go:
Matthew 8:12
“But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

In Hebrews, we get more detail: this is a place for those who were once enlightened – those who truly received knowledge of the gospel – but still denied it:
Hebrews 6:4–6
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened…
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance…”

Finally, in Doctrine and Covenants we get a more detailed picture: those who received the Holy Ghost but still denied it shall be sent to outer darkness.
Doctrine and Covenants 76:30–38
“And we saw a vision of the sufferings of those with whom he [Satan] made war…
And this is the end of them, both in time and in eternity…
Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it…
These are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels…
Wherefore, he saves all except them…”

Earth: Physical and Spiritual Plane

The following scripture in Colossians summarizes well the cosmos: there is heaven and there is earth. In Earth, there is the visible (the physical plane), but also the invisible (or the spiritual plane).

Colossians 1:16
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Here are a few additional scriptures

2 Kings 6:17 – Elishah’s eyes are opened to see the spiritual plane overlayed on the physical.

Job 1:6–7 – God asks where Satan came from to which he replies “going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” Since Satan doesn’t have a body, this was his spirit traversing the spirit plane of the world.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 – the spirit is separate from the body – the body returns to the dust of the earth, but the spirit stays with God.

Heaven is separate from earth’s spiritual plane
Genesis 28:12 – Jacob sees a ladder going from earth up to heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it. So, we see angels traveling between two places: heaven and earth. Such travel only makes sense if the heavenly realm is different from the earthly spiritual plane.

Satan’s Region of Heaven

Revelation 12:3-4,7-10 – Satan Draws a third of the stars in heaven, which are then cast to earth by Michael and his angels.
Revelation 6:12-14 – Following the Sun going dark, Satan’s hosts (called stars in heaven) fall to the earth.

These scriptures in Revelations are relevant because they reveal the timeline of Satan being Cast out of heaven: He is only cast out following the Sun going dark during the end days (after which the world sees the antichrist and the mark of the beast). So he hasn’t been cast out yet.

Prison being Prepared

There is a region being prepared to be a prison for Satan and his hosts, however they have not been cast there yet. In Revelations 20, we learn about this prison:

Revelation 20:1-3 – an angel binds Satan with a chain into the bottomless pit during the millennium.

As we go further in this chapter, we learn that there are actually two parts to this prison. There is the bottomless pit where Satan stays inside for a thousand years. Then there is the lake of fire and brimstone where Satan is ultimately cast. Presumably the lake of fire and brimstone is even worse than the bottomless pit.

Revelation 20:7-10 – after Satan is loosed from his pit, he wars with the saints for a season, followed by his final demise where he is cast into the “lake of fire and brimstone” where he is tormented forever.

And finally, in Matthew 25:41 we learn that this prison for Satan is being prepared in advanced for his coming.

Worlds Without Number

We only have a few scriptures about how God has created additional worlds beyond this one. In Hebrews, we learned that Jesus Christ has created multiple worlds through his words.
Hebrews 1:2 – Jesus created the worlds plural, not singular.
Hebrews 11:3 – the worlds (again plural) were created by the word of God.

We get a few additional scriptures about these creations in the book of Moses:
Moses 1:33 – Jesus Christ has created worlds without number.
Moses 7:36 – during the time of Noah, the earth was the most wicked world God had ever created.