Question
Gramps,
Do we know if David will be resurrected to the Telestial Kingdom at the end of the Millennium?
Michael
Answer
Michael,
When we read the story of King David in the Bible, we find a man who loved the Lord, received great blessings, and was chosen to lead Israel. David defeated Goliath, became king of Israel, and wrote many of the Psalms. Yet his life also included serious sins, particularly his adultery with Bathsheba and his role in the death of her husband, Uriah.
This raises an interesting question for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Will David be resurrected at the end of the Millennium to inherit the telestial kingdom?
To understand the answer, we need to look at what the scriptures teach about David’s sins, his loss of exaltation, and the order of the Resurrection.
David’s serious transgressions are recorded in 2 Samuel 11–12. After David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband to be killed in battle, the prophet Nathan confronted him.
In 2 Samuel 12:9, the Lord asks David through Nathan:
“Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight?”
David’s actions had serious consequences. Although he acknowledged his sin, his position as king and his previous righteousness did not exempt him from accountability before God.
The Doctrine and Covenants gives us an important statement about David’s eternal standing. In Doctrine and Covenants 132:39, the Lord explains that David’s wives and concubines had been given to him through authorized servants of God, but identifies his actions involving Uriah and his wife as an exception. The verse concludes that David “hath fallen from his exaltation.”
This is a significant statement in Latter-day Saint doctrine. Exaltation refers to receiving the fullness of God’s blessings in the celestial kingdom. David’s actions cost him that promised exaltation.
But does losing exaltation mean that David will never be resurrected or that he will receive no glory in the eternities? No. Latter-day Saint doctrine teaches that the Resurrection will come to all mankind, with different eternal outcomes according to God’s plan.
Interestingly, the Church’s own Bible Dictionary directly addresses David’s resurrection. Under the entry for David, it states:
“He will be resurrected at the end of the Millennium.”
The entry also connects this timing with David’s transgressions and his loss of exaltation, citing Doctrine and Covenants 132:39. This is an important official Church reference because it specifically identifies when David will be resurrected.
To understand why the timing matters, we can turn to Doctrine and Covenants 76:81–85, which describes those who inherit telestial glory.
Verse 81 explains that the telestial kingdom has a glory that is lesser than the terrestrial kingdom, while verses 82–84 describe those who inherit it. Verse 85 says they “shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection.”
The Church’s Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual explains that the Resurrection of the unjust, which includes those who inherit telestial glory, will occur at the end of the Millennium.
We can also read Doctrine and Covenants 88:100–102, which describes the order in which different groups will come forth in the Resurrection.
Taken together, these teachings explain why David’s resurrection at the end of the Millennium is associated with the resurrection of those who inherit telestial glory. However, it is worth being precise. The Bible Dictionary explicitly states that David will be resurrected at the end of the Millennium and that he has fallen from his exaltation. It does not directly state in that entry that David will inherit the telestial kingdom. That conclusion comes from connecting the timing of his resurrection with the broader teachings about the telestial kingdom.
The scriptures also remind us that the telestial kingdom is not without glory. In Doctrine and Covenants 76:89, the Lord describes the glory of the telestial kingdom as something that “surpasses all understanding.”
This helps us remember that God’s plan is more generous and complex than many people realize. The degrees of glory are not simply a choice between the highest heaven and eternal punishment. Through Jesus Christ, all but the sons of perdition will ultimately receive a degree of glory.
David’s story is a sobering reminder that even people who have received great blessings from God remain accountable for their choices. His faith and accomplishments were significant, but his actions involving Bathsheba and Uriah had serious consequences.
At the same time, we should be careful not to claim more than the Lord has revealed. We can accept the scriptures’ clear statement that David fell from his exaltation and the Church’s Bible Dictionary statement that he will be resurrected at the end of the Millennium. We can also understand that this timing corresponds with the resurrection associated with telestial glory.
The most accurate answer, therefore, is that David lost his exaltation and will be resurrected at the end of the Millennium. His resurrection timing is consistent with the order associated with the telestial kingdom, although the cited Bible Dictionary entry does not explicitly name his final kingdom.
Ultimately, David’s story reminds us to take God’s commandments seriously, trust in the justice of the Lord, and remember that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of all mankind. We can rely on what God has revealed while remaining humble about the details He has not made known.
Gramps
