I know you are a devoted Mormon. In my teens, I spent several months visiting and learning about the LDS church. I was a baby Christian at the time, yet there were many things I saw and learned that still didn't convict me to convert.

My question for you is: if you died today, do you know for sure, without a doubt that you would go to heaven? I believe that when a person dies, they immediately go to heaven or hell. I believe that because the Bible says "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8 (KJV). I believe that for a soul to go to heaven, they must be "born again". In John 3:3, Jesus answered Nicodemus when he asked Jesus "How can a man be born when he is old?..." And Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The only unpardonable sin is rejection of the Holy Spirit, or blasphemy.

When I spent those few months with the two young elders, I never heard them speak of salvation and eternal life with Jesus.

Donny, have you been born again? Have you admitted that you are a sinner and deserve hell? Do you believe that Jesus is the son of God, born to a virgin? Have you confessed your sins to Jesus and asked Him to be your Savior, to be the Lord of your life and live in your heart?

I hope you have. I saw Oprah today and in all honesty, I never watch her show. Mainly because I am at work and her show is just not something I watch. But I was at home today (Friday, November 9th), and I saw all of your family coming on to stage, sharing so many proud moments of your youth and of course, your parents. I thought about all of your family and wondered about your salvation(s). I pray that you will think about what I have shared. I only do this because it is what the Lord expects from us: to plant the seed, to share the gospel, and to let others know about His promise of an eternal life with Him--the reason why He died for our sins.

God bless you.

I do know that salvation and eternal life are the fundamental goals of our religion. We have a teaching that states that the work and glory of the Father is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man ".

Immortality is the result of the resurrection which is salvation from physical death. Eternal life, to us is eternal life in the persence of our Heavenly Father or salvation from spiritual death (separation from God).

I would like to include an answer to another email that I received recently that I believe elaborates more on this question:

Contrary to popular opinion, there is much that we believe that is shared with you and other Christians. We know that only by the grace of Jesus Christ can anyone be saved. Our understanding of salvation and of Heaven vary some, but certainly the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the center of our faith as I understand it is yours. We, for example, understand that there are two parts to salvation: 1) Saved from physical death as Christ voluntarily gave his life and arose again breaking the bands of death for all : 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20 - 22)

2) Saved from spiritual death (separated from God) as the Lord suffered for our sins and offered eternal life with our Father in Heaven for those who exercise their faith in Jesus Christ to "...Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)

It is very clear that "...Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3 :5) "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it... Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." ( Matthew 7:14 , 21)

Now the question of who will go to heaven; I have noticed that the common understanding of Heaven and Hell as taught in the Bible, has reference to the status of life in the Spirit World where the spirits of all who die go to await the resurrection. Note the Savior's comment to the repentant theif who hung beside him on the cross: "...To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23: 43)

Most Christians understand paradise to be heaven, and the spirit prison to be hell: "18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." (1 Peter 3:18 - 20)

We know of these promised destinations of the spirits of all who die, but we also know that this spirit world is a place of waiting as I mentioned earlier. It is at the resurrection and following that the judgement occurs: 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [spirit world] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (Revelation 20:12 - 13)

As I alluded to above, there is a judgement of sorts at the resurrection, because each will be resurrected with a Celestial body compared to the Sun in glory, a terrestrial body compared to the moon in glory and a glory compared to the stars. Latter day revelation names the glory likened to the stars at the telestial glory. Paul is the one who refers to this resurrection: 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. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: (1 Corinthians 15:40 - 42)

We also know by modern revelation that these resurrected bodies will inherit the kingdom of glory relating to the glory of the resurrected body. So, we believe that the eternal future of most all of Heavenly Father's children will inheret some degree of glory, even the wicked will inheret the telestial glory and kingdom. The Celestial Glory will be the presence of our Heavenly Father and Jesus and those who have had faith in Jesus Christ enough to repent, be baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands as taught in the New Testament. Those who believe in Christ, but do not accept and follow the fullness of the Lord's gospel and are the good of the earth will find themselves in the Terrestrail Kingdom.

This is a much more comprehensive doctrine of life after death than most Christian churches teach. I must say that this understanding is not arrived at as an interpretation of the scripture, but has been revealed through living prophets and apostles in modern times like those who lived anciently and were the ones through whom the Lord communicated by revelation to lead his church. We claim that same church has been restored in these latter days along with the re-establishment of apostles and prophets as well as the other officers that was part of Christ's own church which he himself organized.

The Lord having apostles and prophets again on the earth, has now elaborated on the gospel with truth on such things as we are discussing here. It seems that living prophets are no easier for people to accept today than they were anciently but note this passage as the Lord said to his apostles: 40 ¶ He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward [Celestial Kingdom]; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward [Terrestrial Kingdom] . (Matthew 10:40 - 41)

I hope this helps answer your question.

Sincerely,

Donny Osmond


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