Question
Gramps,
I understand that after the final judgment that all men and women will be out into three kingdoms, the Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial or Outer Darkness (those being the sons of perdition). What happens if you have a friend who only makes it to the Terrestrial Kingdom whilst you make it to the Celestial? Will you never be able to talk to him again? Will you even be able to communicate with people between Kingdoms?
Camron
Answer
Camron,
Let me first clarify something in your question. Perhaps I misunderstood your intent but again for clarification. The Telestial Kingdom and Outer Darkness are not the same. Outer darkness is not considered a kingdom of heaven and has no glory.
You ask a question that requires speculation. So I am going to speculate and I am going to do my best to support my thoughts with scriptures
In the Joseph Smith Translation of 1 Corinthians 15:39-42 we read,
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40 Also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial, and bodies telestial; but the glory of the celestial, one; and the terrestrial, another; and the telestial, 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.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
This scripture tell us that resurrected bodies are going to be different and our resurrected body is raised up to a level that it supports the weight of what ever glory we receive at the Judgement.
I bring this up because we don’t have a lot of data or stories on how bodies with different degrees of glory can interact with each other. Clearly 3rd Nephi shows that Jesus in his glorified resurrected body could come among mortals who were in a clearly lesser state. He could be seen, he could be heard, he could be touched, so clearly he could interact.
We also have stories of angels visiting and talking to mortals. Angels are another example of a person with a higher level of glory and interacting with those with lesser glory.
In 3rd Nephi 28:37,39 we learn more details about people who get translated (aka the 3 Nephites) and we are told this
37 But behold, since I wrote, I have inquired of the Lord, and he hath made it manifest unto me that there must needs be a change wrought upon their bodies, or else it needs be that they must taste of death;
and this
39 Now this change was not equal to that which shall take place at the last day; but there was a change wrought upon them, insomuch that Satan could have no power over them, that he could not tempt them; and they were sanctified in the flesh, that they were holy, and that the powers of the earth could not hold them.
So the scriptures once again point out changes to the body being part of different glories, with the change necessary to support being translated not being as great as in the resurrection. The entirety of the 28th chapter talks about how the Three Nephites went about their work and what it took for them to interact with mortals. Please read the entire chapter to learn more details
We also read in D&C 76:86-87,
86 These are they who receive not of his fulness in the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial;
87 And the terrestrial through the ministration of the celestial.
These scriptures indicate that those in the lower kingdoms will be administered to by those in upper kingdoms. The mystery here is the nature of communication. This has not been revealed as far as I know.
While mortality is clearly a special case, I give it as my speculative opinion that we seen in the examples I have given, how such is most likely is going to work. And I encourage you to study it out in the scriptures for yourself to see what you think the Lord is teaching us on the matter.
Gramps
