A simple answer to this question might be everyone who is not judged to be a son of perdition. A more satisfying answer may quickly become complex. Desiring to avoid here the complexities and unanswerables inherent in a discussion of this subject, may I suggest a careful study of particularly Sections 76, 88, 131, and 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants should be enlightening. For this writing, it will be sufficient to consider some of the broader more defining attributes of those who will inherit each one of the three kingdoms of glory as their abode for eternity.
During His mortal ministry, the Lord taught that in His Father’s house were many mansions. “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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3). The number of the mansions that eventually will be prepared for those of us who were sent to this earth to experience our mortal probation is beyond our understanding. However, revelations in both ancient and modern times make it clear there will be three kingdoms, each one very distinguishable in its characteristics from the other two. The Apostle Paul taught the Corinthians that “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” (I Corinthians 15:40-42). The Lord has made known in this generation that the celestial kingdom will contain “three heavens or degrees” (D&C 131:1). If we assume that the internal structures of the other two kingdoms include various degrees also, then we may come closer to an understanding of the Lord’s use of the word “many” to describe the number of mansions in His Father’s house.
Modern-day revelations have blessed us with increased understanding beyond Paul’s teachings wherein the three kingdoms of glory are likened to the sun, the moon, and the stars in their respective degrees of light. Thus moving beyond Paul’s distinctions of the three kingdoms, it is true to say that those who will inherit the celestial kingdom are those who embrace the Lord’s gospel, are baptized and confirmed, and are judged worthy to enter His Father’s presence as a result of their faithfulness. Those who will inherit the terrestrial kingdom are, in general terms, those who are judged either unfaithful in living the gospel and/or are found to be among the honorable inhabitants of the earth. Those who will receive a telestial glory in the resurrection are those who in civilized society live criminal lives whether they are so judged officially or not. In other words, those who are judged as living their lives dishonorably.
What may be most striking about this revealed understanding of what awaits God’s spirit children after the final judgment is how desperately different it is from the understanding of the so called “Christian” world. Generally for them, the many mansions in our “Father’s house” number two: heaven and hell. To view hell as being one of the many mansions in God’s house is an error of fundamental gravity. There are those “Christians” who believe in a temporary place of punishment between death and the final judgment that they call “purgatory.” Here, the believers are punished for their sins until they are freed in time for the final judgment. This is an attempt by the apostate Christian world to explain the circumstances of the “spirit prison” (D&C 138:28) the real purposes of which were lost to them many generations ago. Those who find themselves in the spirit prison are not benefited by the prayers and the lighting of candles by their kindred living. They may be benefited by their friends and relatives who are still alive acting as proxies in the performance of the saving ordinances on their behalf in one of the Lord’s temples. Then when the gospel is preached to the deceased in prison, they will have an opportunity to accept it, repent of their sins, and accept the ordinances done in their behalf.
With reference to the gross distinctions between those of our Father’s spirit children in light of their eventual residence in one of the three kingdoms of glory, my wife has often remarked in our journey through life together how clearly the substance of those three kingdoms are already apparent in the behaviors of our fellowmen. This insight does not in anyway preclude the possibility of any particular person accepting the gospel once they are introduced to it and markedly changing the manner in which they are living life. The reverse possibility is just as true. Those of us who have accepted the gospel and are attempting to live it as best we can must realize that Satan would be especially happy to see us fail in our effort to follow the Lord, thus losing our opportunity to return to the presence of our Father in heaven. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are obligated to strive for the reward that we have been promised will follow a life of faithful service. At the same time, we are obligated to do what is within our power to bring others to an understanding of the blessings they will experience from the successful living of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
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