Inheritors Of The Telestial Kingdom

[manofthecloth]

We need to be careful of teaching progression between kingdoms.

If I move from the Telestial now to the Terrestrial Millennium Earth to the glorious Celestial Earth am I moving between kingdoms? If I can't progress from Telestial to Terrestrial until I am ready am I progressing between kingdoms? "Progressing between kingdoms" is only inadmissible if I accept the Plan of Salvation Chart as we currently think about it.

[urroner]

I haven't heard a talk about progressing between kingdoms ever in General Conference nor have I ever read that concept taught in any church manual. I've heard about progress within kingdoms, but never between kingdoms. I know that was talk about it in the early days of the Church, but the Church has since then said that there is no progress between kingdoms.

If anybody can demonstrate otherwise, please let me know.

[CV75]

"Progressing between kingdoms" is only inadmissible if I accept the Plan of Salvation Chart as we currently think about it.

That depends on how detailed a chart you are using. The "progression between kingdoms" can certainly occurr in our pre-resurrected existence. For example, the Church has/had a family relations course where teletisal-terrestrial-celestail behaviors are identified according to how family members treat each other.

As pointed out, the "progression between kingdoms" is represented in the temple covenants, but that still pertains to the pre-resurrecetd state and represents the process of spiritual refinement and sanctification.

In the post-resurrection part of the chart, "progression between kingdoms" hasn't been part of the diagramming as far as I can remember.

[Rob Osborn]

While he focuses on the one place where the exalted saints will dwell, there is reason to believe that there are other kingdoms:

20:12-15 speaks of “the dead, small and great” who are judged “according to their works.” Abraham 3:19 uses this principle as well (that each of us is greater or lesser than another). These verses also indicate there are books, each an individual record of a person’s unique works, which is compared with the book of life. The “second death” must likewise take the form of a unique and accordant outcome for each person not found in the book of life. Chapter 21 then speaks of the Lamb’s book of life, which serves as the roster of saints dwelling in the celestialized earth.

The Lamb's book of life contains all the names Christ saves through the atonement. Everyone whose name is found in the book have access to the celestial kingdom. If your name isnt found in the book you are in outer darkness suffering the second death with the devil and his angels.

[Rob Osborn]

I haven't heard a talk about progressing between kingdoms ever in General Conference nor have I ever read that concept taught in any church manual. I've heard about progress within kingdoms, but never between kingdoms. I know that was talk about it in the early days of the Church, but the Church has since then said that there is no progress between kingdoms.

If anybody can demonstrate otherwise, please let me know.

The temple endowment rooms symbolize the actual "telestial kingdom, " terrestrial kingdom" and " celestial kingdom". What is the endowment all about? Progressing from one kingdom to the next.

[manofthecloth]

That depends on how detailed a chart you are using. The "progression between kingdoms" can certainly occur in our pre-resurrected existence...As pointed out, the "progression between kingdoms" is represented in the temple covenants, but that still pertains to the pre-resurrected state and represents the process of spiritual refinement and sanctification.

On a forum like this, no doubt, you have hashed, gnashed and rehashed the subject of resurrection long before I appeared. Incidentally, I an a true newbie having never been on any board before now. Thank you for treating me kindly and patiently.

On a forum like this, resurrection has surely been discussed. Some will say the process of resurrection is unknowable; an absolute miracle. For want of a more appropriate term we could say "POOF" and we are resurrected. My grave opens and I am present in the flesh instantaneously again. I must say, "I don't get that," because it makes no sense. I wish dearly I knew the source, but Eliza R. Snow was said long ago to adhere to the concept of resurrection coming in the form of being born. What if resurrection at least to the Telestial state is being born of a woman. I kind of like the idea of being born to a mother again at the Terrestrial level, but that presents all kinds of new problems to work out for sure. It seems like it would be far better to walk into the Millennial state like Enoch and all the lucky ducks at the end of the world rather than being born to a mother or with some luck my own mother...but I ramble.

What if we make resurrection at the Telestial level that of being born. Does resurrection necessarily mean "adult" personage?

[CV75]

What if we make resurrection at the Telestial level that of being born. Does resurrection necessarily mean "adult" personage?

Just to stir the pot: maybe the resurrection has us emerging out of the fruit of the tree of life, without mother or father etc... and perhaps there are many such trees nourished and nurtured at different glories... In the hypothetical you present, resurrection would not necesarily mean an adult personage, and in the one I presented it could be either.

But in the scriptural cases where the graves were opened after the Lord's resurrection, and yielded up their dead, and appeared and ministered unto many, they seem to have been adults.

[urroner]

The temple endowment rooms symbolize the actual "telestial kingdom, " terrestrial kingdom" and " celestial kingdom". What is the endowment all about? Progressing from one kingdom to the next.

Is it possible that you are reading more into the ceremony than really is in the the ceremony? There is a lot of symbolism in the ceremony, which, if taken to be reflective of it "appears" to be, would leave one very lost.

[MormonMason]

Where it says: "They will suffer for their own sins in hell until after the Millennium, when they will be resurrected" it is incorrect. The suffering as described in DC 19 must take place in the resurrected body. An unembodied spirit cannot suffer; it must be embodied in order to do so. And the suffering of the atonement is so intense that a mortal soul cannot endure it and remain living; hence their body must be immortal in order to do so. Their resurrection is delayed until the last -- their suffering in Hell is the suffering of being apart from their body in an unpleasant place, but it is not the suffering of their atonement -- that awaits their resurrection. After they are resurrected then they are required to atone, whereupon they enter the Telestial Kingdom.

See the Book of Mormon descriptions of the suffering of the damned until the resurrection. It is much more than mere 'missing' of one's body. Hell's torment is as (meaning "like") a lake of fire and brimstone to the souls of those who await the resurrection.

One also does not have to have a body to suffer. In my thinking the body just takes the edge off by releasing the pain through various outlets, such as sweating blood, release of endorphins, etc. Without the body, the sufferings are and will be quite exquisite because there is no release until the time of the resurrection. Those who are sons of Perdition will end up suffering more of the same after they get their bodies back.

[Rob Osborn]

Is it possible that you are reading more into the ceremony than really is in the the ceremony? There is a lot of symbolism in the ceremony, which, if taken to be reflective of it "appears" to be, would leave one very lost.e

I realize there is a lot of symbolism in the temple. The endowment rooms symbolize actual physical places. For instance, the world room in the temple symbolizes the world we now live in. That is the symbolism. From there it explains that the world we now live in is the telestial kingdom and from that point on, while in that room, it is thus referred to as the telestial world. Those two terms are exactly the same terms the scriptures uses.

You know, even though it specifically calls this world we now live in the telestial kingdom, when you tell others, they just don't believe it. Its rather amazing that somehow we have either totally glossed over it paying it no thought, or we have genuinely just somehow missed that important clarification altogether. We always want to call it a telestial state but not the "telestial kingdom" as the temple states.

[rodheadlee]

Well i think that those who inherit a Telestial Kingdom did one thing right. They kept their First Estate and recived a body here on Earth. Thus avoiding being cast out with Satan and the1/3 of the kingdom that rebelled.

[canard78]

I am still not any the wiser as to where the contradiction is. And I am not bound by what is written in the Gospel Principles manual; I am only bound by what is written in the scriptures and the revelations we have received.

There is always a loss of doctrinal accuracy when people try to express things in their own words rather than using the language that the scriptures themselves employ---no matter how well-intentioned they might be. For this reason I am not interested in defending doctrine as taught in secondary sources, but only as it is taught in the standard works.

Interesting approach. Are you saying you'd reject what's in the church's official publications that aren't canonised if you felt they contradicted or elaborated on a scripture beyond your personal (albeit spiritually guided) interpretation and application?

Is the point of modern prophets and leaders (who approve curriculum materials) that they give us guidance on interpretation, or, are the materials there to support and guide our own interpretation and application?

I'm not saying which is right, just musing.

[manofthecloth]

Just to stir the pot: maybe the resurrection has us emerging out of the fruit of the tree of life, without mother or father etc... and perhaps there are many such trees nourished and nurtured at different glories... In the hypothetical you present, resurrection would not necesarily mean an adult personage, and in the one I presented it could be either.

But in the scriptural cases where the graves were opened after the Lord's resurrection, and yielded up their dead, and appeared and ministered unto many, they seem to have been adults.

Well...to your first clever reply, Adam's father was Father. Right? In other words, Adam's parents were not a trees. Secondly, to your deft other point, the Savior was certainly an adult personage. Interestingly, JS seemed to tell us in the King Follett sermon that our elder brother had already gone through a probation before coming to this life with us. In other words, he was already God. I would think a God can do more materially and spiritually than can a mere Telestial-world man like me when death comes. The Savior was indeed resurrected in an adult personage form and by taking up his body. As for the others who were yielded from the grave...this is an interesting idea to contemplate. Is it possible the others were born in a Terrestrial realm and subsequently had grown up to be present where their Telestial body was entombed to stand with our Lord on his day of Resurrection? Inside Enoch's band there certainly would have been many mothers available for such a role. Think how many generations could be living in that place now. Wouldn't you rather be there than here? This all may sound far afield from the topic, but I am of the firm opinion we are in and experiencing "The" Telestial Kingdom now. We then are inheritors of that kingdom. Thinking...."for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space," (D&C 88:37) - So what kingdom am I in now if not the Telestial?

[manofthecloth]

You know, even though it specifically calls this world we now live in the telestial kingdom, when you tell others, they just don't believe it. Its rather amazing that somehow we have either totally glossed over it paying it no thought, or we have genuinely just somehow missed that important clarification altogether. We always want to call it a telestial state but not the "telestial kingdom" as the temple states.

The "Plan of Salvation" chart does a good job of obscuring the idea of this place being the Telestial Kingdom. I think it's time to rethink that diagram but we can't talk about and discuss it in EQ or RS. It will need to be done at Correlation. The Church does a great job of keeping crackpots like me at bay so that's probably a good thing. Besides...there are other problems which present themselves when we lose the chart's familiar 2.5 minute talking points. Note: 2.5 minute talks were all we could muster as kids in the 1960s and 70s. Kids today are far more advanced. What other points? For example, what if I like the idea of assigning everyone who doesn't attain celestial glory to eternal forever and ever and ever Terrestrial or Telestial glory? It's tidy and seems scriptural. Terrestrial isn't exactly celestial glory, but it will have to do. It doesn't matter if the Terrestrial inheritor wants to repent because it's too late. The "final" judgement took place. Too bad so sad because there's no progression between kingdoms. Everyone knows that.

[Rob Osborn]

The "Plan of Salvation" chart does a good job of obscuring the idea of this place being the Telestial Kingdom. I think it's time to rethink that diagram but we can't talk about and discuss it in EQ or RS. It will need to be done at Correlation. The Church does a great job of keeping crackpots like me at bay so that's probably a good thing. Besides...there are other problems which present themselves when we lose the chart's familiar 2.5 minute talking points. Note: 2.5 minute talks were all we could muster as kids in the 1960s and 70s. Kids today are far more advanced. What other points? For example, what if I like the idea of assigning everyone who doesn't attain celestial glory to eternal forever and ever and ever Terrestrial or Telestial glory? It's tidy and seems scriptural. Terrestrial isn't exactly celestial glory, but it will have to do. It doesn't matter if the Terrestrial inheritor wants to repent because it's too late. The "final" judgement took place. Too bad so sad because there's no progression between kingdoms. Everyone knows that.

Why are people happy with believing a person could be permanently assigned to some lower glory just because they waited too long to accept Christ? That has always bothered me. Also, why do we think it just to cut someone off from their loved ones for eternity just because they too accepted too late?

[blackstrap]

Joseph gave a vision of the spirit world and presented the idea of habitations ,streets etc. He said it was here on this earth. That seems to suggest another dimension of existence. Could it be that each Kingdom is on the earth but in progressively 'higher' dimensions and that just as we cannot move into the spiritual dimension now without God's assistance and ultimately a physical transformation, so it would be after the resurrection.

[MormonMason]

Why are people happy with believing a person could be permanently assigned to some lower glory just because they waited too long to accept Christ? That has always bothered me. Also, why do we think it just to cut someone off from their loved ones for eternity just because they too accepted too late?

I do not think people are happy about it but degrees of glory are part and parcel of the teachings of the scriptures as a whole. Besides, it was Joseph Smith the prophet himself who taught that in the end families would be lacking some of their members in the Celestial kingdom. The Lord Jesus also taught the same. This life is the time to prepare to meet God for those who have the opportunity and reject it. For those who did not have the chance to receive it, it is the next.

Those who go to the Telestial kingdom cannot come where God and Christ are--worlds without end. Those who go to the Telestial kingdom go to hell first. This world may be considered the Telestial world and being part of the Telestial kingdom but no one here went to hell first to get here, so this is not the Telestial kingdom of the future that comes after the final judgment. What a lot of people fail to realize is that there are two judgment periods separated by the Millennium, according to the Book of Revelation. The final judgment occurs at the end of the thousand years and it is the people who came forth in the second resurrection that are judged at that time.

There are only two groups that will be at the outcome of that judgment--those who will be saved and those who will be damned because their names will not be found in the Lamb's Book of Life. Recall the previous verses that show that death and hell gave up the dead in them just prior to this final judgment. That resurrection is the last resurrection, not the first that occurred a thousand years previous. But, that is why Revelation does not discuss the three degrees of glory in that context. The only outcomes of that judgment are salvation or outer darkness (not the outer darkness of the Gospel of Matthew, which term in that Greek text has a different meaning than that given by LDS to the kingdom of no glory).

That said, however, the Book of Revelation certainly mentions four classes of beings at the end of all things. We find this in Revelation 22:11:

He that is ^aunjust, let him be ^bunjust still: and he which is ^cfilthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

When we take the scriptures as a whole--all of them--we can identify the meaning of this passage, even though the kinds of persons are not given in order in the current text of this passage.

Unjust = Telestial

Filthy = Outer Darkness

Righteous = Terrestrial

Holy = Celestial

But, compare this with the various portions of Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants and I think the meaning will become apparent to LDS readers.

[manofthecloth]

Joseph gave a vision of the spirit world and presented the idea of habitations ,streets etc. He said it was here on this earth. That seems to suggest another dimension of existence. Could it be that each Kingdom is on the earth but in progressively 'higher' dimensions and that just as we cannot move into the spiritual dimension now without God's assistance and ultimately a physical transformation, so it would be after the resurrection.

Avraham Gileadi calls the dimensions "time zones," and I like both ideas. Enoch and his band are somewhere to be sure. Christ and Father are always somewhere. Didn't Joseph say we are always associated with this earth; that we never leave it. That alone puts the glory and understanding of this place on its head. How can I possibly comprehend the glory of this Telestial world if it simultaneously has all three glories going on at one time. Mind boggling is a good phrase. Luckily for me, I am given time (inexorably forward-moving time) to focus on this kingdom with a Telestial mind capable of making only one single-threaded decision a moment. And in each moment I can choose God (or not). When I got here to this life I already had station and privilege. Why? What did I do before to warrant such a station and in what kingdom did I do it?

[manofthecloth]

Those who go to the Telestial kingdom cannot come where God and Christ are--worlds without end.

I like D&C 76:112 very much because it makes Rob Osborn's point so well. "And they, [telestial inheritors] shall be servants of the Most High; but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end. In my current state I can be a servant of the Most High, and I may not go where God and Christ dwell even worlds without end. It still fits.

Those who go to the Telestial kingdom go to hell first.

Hmm...Please elaborate more. Where on the approved "plan of salvation" chart is hell found? How do the scriptures associate the Telestial with hell?

This world may be considered the Telestial world and being part of the Telestial kingdom...

I like that idea very much. This Telestial world is part of the Telestial Kingdom. Is it like a system of Telestial Kingdoms spreading across father's created universe. Are Father's worlds and kingdoms interconnected in some way? Is one Telestial Kingdom about the same as another on a different planet?

[zerinus]

Zerinus is correct when the old model of the "Plan of Salvation" chart is applied. Pre-assigning me to a kingdom of glory from my short time in the Telestial World is kind of like the old sectarian notion of pre-destination (or fate) in my mind. 70+ years is far too short. I have almost no understanding of the eternities which stretch behind me much less the eons ahead. Just how long does it take for one to be tried and tested to be like a father who gained his knowledge like I am obtaining it? Can my tests all take place in one short Telestial life? Is the Millennium a 1,000 year vacation (vacation from the test) just before my grand entry into Heaven (Celestial) or Hell (all the rest)? Why wouldn't the Millennium be a useful time for testing me? Why did Hyrum Smith say the Terrestrial Kingdom waxes and wanes? Why, honestly, is the endowment ceremony presented in the order and manner it is presented if it is not to reveal a gift of knowledge about ourselves and our path of progression.

Alma 12:

24 And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.

Alma 34:

32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

Abraham 3:

25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.

[zerinus]

There is only one path of salvation. All who repent and are baptized enter through the same gate and are on the same path. How are the spirits in prison saved from that hell? Through obedience to the saving laws and ordinances of the holy temple. There is no other way. Here-

58 The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God,

59 And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation. (D&C138:58-59)

"House of God" mentioned in verse 58 refers specifically to the temple. All who repent and accept Christ are offered every and all blessings of the temple. When we do vicarious work for the dead in temples, we not only do it for those who were righteous, but for all, including those in hell who change their ways, repent and accept Christ. Yes, even for those who rejected it in mortality but who then accepted it in hell/spirit prison.

Tell me, how is anyone saved from spiritual death eternally(salvation)? Through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.

It would be helpful if you could tell me what relevance this has to the post you are replying to.

[zerinus]

Z-man, even putting words to truths corrupts those truths. Some truths cannot be described in spoken words, much less written words. That is a problem mortals have had to deal with since forever, especially when it comes to truths spoken of or written at one time and then hearing or reading them in a future date. Is the context of the original communication understood, especially what the communicator was trying to convey.

2 Nephi 31:

3 For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding.

D&C 1:

24 Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.

You say that you are only interested in defending doctrine as it is only taught in the standard works, but how do you know that you are defending truth as it really is rather than how you perceive it to be. That is the rub for me. When somebody, like you, me, or even the great Dr. Dan Peterson, defends the truth and try to explain it, does that person not become a secondary source for others and are not our perceptions of the gospel and all truths often framed and made by all different degrees of sources, primary, secondary, tertiary, or whatever.

What the Lord has said in His own words is His business and responsibility. What others have said in their own words is their business and responsibility. What I say using my own choice of words and expressions is my business, and what I accept responsibility for.

As far as it comes to who goes where after the resurrection, I have a belief that it isn't one of judgement coming from God. I don't see God, Jesus, or anybody but our own little selves telling us where to go.

The scriptures tell us that God decides where we go and how we end up in the afterlife.

I don't see life as a test that we either pass or fail. All those who pass, go to the Celestial Kingdom, and the teacher's pets get to go to the top of the kingdom, while all those who didn't past muster, get sent to places not so nice and the teacher ignores us forever after that. To me, that seems a little authoritarian. I don't looe at life like it's a school where we end up passing or failing the bar, I look at it like it's a school where we learn whom we really are and gain all sorts of experiences in it. Good experiences come from good judgement which comes from bad experiences which come from bad judgement.

Again, according to the scriptures life is a test, and God is the tester or examiner. He marks our exam papers and decides what grades we get, and decides how we end up according to how we pass (or fail) the test.

The time people progress the most is when mistakes are made and they seek to not repeat those mistakes. If mistakes were never made, why would we ever want to change. That is why I don't see Adam and Eve living in the Garden of Eden as a good thing. They would never change since they weren't making any mistakes. The biggest advancements in the space program occurred after mistakes were made, mistakes like Apollo 1 and the Challenger explosion.

I don’t really know what you trying to get at here. If you are trying to justify sin, you are mistaken. God “cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance:”

Alma 45:

16 And he said: Thus saith the Lord God . . . for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.

D&C 1:

31 For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance

I have ADHD and it has played a big role in my life. I always tended to be very impulsive and did lots of silly, unexplainable things in the past, I still do occasionally, and I thought I didn't have the right stuff to be whom the Lord wanted me to be. I was constantly failing too many tests. I was told to go and pray for help from the Lord and to make mighty prayers, but I couldn't pray for more than a couple of minutes at the most. I still have that problem. My prayers only last for a couple of minutes. Any longer and my mind, even if I pray vocally, wanders off on rabbit trails. This bothered me a lot, but a short time ago, I realized that if a couple of minutes was the best I could do, then I'd make those the best couple of minutes I could. My prayers don't change much night to night, but they are sincere and I hope the Lord doesn't get too bored with me.

I am sure God hears and answers all prayers.

When it comes to who goes where, whether it's the Telestial, Terrestial, Celestial, or even to Outer Darkness (Texas), I don't think the Lord assigns us to any of those places, points a finger at one of three doors, and in a booming voice for all to hear and all to fear, commands us to go through the chosen door. I believe that we will know where we belong and we will go there ourselves. I don't see people going before Jesus as he sits in the Judgement Seat, damning people to a lower kingdom or forcing them to go the a higher kingdom and after receiving judgement, a surprise look will come upon the people's faces when they hear the judgement. We will know where we belong and we will simply go there.

I am sure God assigns us to the places where we would be most comfortable to be.

What is laid out in the scriptures is just a description of what type of people will go where because they will choose to do so, not because God will find them either innocent or guilty and pass upon them an eternal judgement.

That is not really true. God is a judge. He is the ultimate judge; and eventually we will all have to pass through that judgement bar to see how we have lived our lives in this world.

If I had to judge a person who is like me when I was young, I'm an old geezer now, I would seriously be pretty rough on that person, but I have realized since then that because of my ADHD and, because of it, my awesome ability to be impulsive and not being able to relate to many social protocols, why I did many of the things that I did and I also realize that because of those "awesome" experiences, I am now able to be more understanding of others and not be so quick to judge them.

I am sure God is a just judge, and will judge us fairly; but judge He will, let there be no mistakes about that.

I realized a long time ago, I wasn't cut out to be a bishop, but I am an awesome first counselor in my ward's Sunday School presidency, just ask the teenagers in my ward. I would be a totally lousy member of the Stake High Council, but I have been an elders quorum president who got the quorum to do 70% home teaching. I would be a lousy Stake President, but the kids in the ward's Primary love me to pieces, especially when I bring them occasional treats or direct music in Primary.

So, really, I look at life as a grand learning experience, and when we are free from our mortal body, with all its failings and problems, we will truly realize what we did and why we did it, and we, without any decree from God or anybody else, will go where we belong and do what we need to do, wherever or whatever that place is or those things are. We are told not to judge others and we are commanded to forgive others, but we can only love others as we love ourselves, we can do no more.

See above.

[zerinus]

It's like a line in the song "Jet Airliner" by Steve Miller, "you've got to go through hell to get to heaven."

That may be; but it doesn't mean sinning. You don't have to sin in order to go to heaven.

[zerinus]

Why is it that St. John in his Revelations never mentions multiple places for the saved to dwell? Why does he mention only this earth as the place where all the saved go? Why does he mention that the only other place to dwell besides this earth is outer darkness?

John in his Revelations does not mention "outer darkness" at all; but he does mention that all will be judged according to their "works;" which implies that they will be assigned to different rewards.

[zerinus]

Interesting approach. Are you saying you'd reject what's in the church's official publications that aren't canonised if you felt they contradicted or elaborated on a scripture beyond your personal (albeit spiritually guided) interpretation and application?

I would put a question mark next to it, and think about it more and study it for a while, and if I came to the conclusion that it was incorrect, I would reject it. I wouldn't make that decision at the spare of the moment. I would think a lot about it before I do.

Is the point of modern prophets and leaders (who approve curriculum materials) that they give us guidance on interpretation, or, are the materials there to support and guide our own interpretation and application?

I didn't quite understand the question. You need to explain.