One night, while driving with the full moon in view, I deeply pondered the basic symbolism of the sun, the moon, and stars, distinguishing the Kingdoms of Glory in the afterlife. While the beauty of the full moon provided some degree of light on my drive home, it was still nighttime and quite dark. I absolutely needed my car’s headlights and the streetlights to drive home safely. The stark difference in light between a full moon in the dark of night versus the sun shining brightly at noon hit me spiritually like never before. This symbolism of the sun, the moon, and the stars, the Lord uses to differentiate the kingdoms of glory in the afterlife, is not just clear and understandable; it’s highly motivational!
The light from the sun, even on a cloudy day, is irrefutably superior to the light from the moon. A Church seminary manual states, “When viewed from the earth, the brightest stars are about 100 times brighter than the dimmest stars. The moon is about 30,000 times brighter than the brightest stars. The sun is about 400,000 times brighter than the full moon. These differences in brightness help illustrate the differences Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon observed between the kingdoms of glory” as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants section 76. Verse 70 explains the glory of the celestial kingdom “is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all.…” Verse 71 states the glory of the terrestrial kingdom differs…” even as that of the moon differs from the sun.…” And verse 81 reads, “And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon.…” Therefore, sunshine can and ought to be a powerful, spiritual reminder that striving for celestial glory is worth it.
Who shall receive celestial glory? A clear answer is found in section 76:69-70: “These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood. These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all….”
The spiritual symbolism of the sun extends beyond brightness. According to NASA’s website, our Sun is at the center of our solar system, and its gravity locks all the planets, asteroids, and comets in orbit around it. Life on Earth depends on our sun’s energy. The sun’s core is 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. Our sun is by far the largest object in our solar system and about 100 times wider than Earth. The sun is supreme. Every person on earth is already physically locked into the sun. What remains is a personal choice to be spiritually locked in.
During this treasured season of gift-giving, the sun is an enduring symbol of God’s stunning, eternal gift of celestial glory to those willing to receive it. Of the thousands of distinct religions currently on the earth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints alone has the fullness of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, the proper priesthood authority, and the necessary and valid ordinances to enter the celestial kingdom for eternity and return to God’s presence. No other religion, despite all the good it teaches and all the good it does, can give its members the opportunity for celestial glory. May all who read this article be stirred to seek this Godly gift.
