This is a speculative perspective on doctrine, and it should not be taken as official doctrine, whether of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or of any other church. It is based on doctrine of the LDS church, but it is the musings of a single person put into a fictional situation, and so, we can not be sure how accurate this will be as to how these situations will actually happen.
For more information, read the scriptures, such as The Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, and refer to published books from the LDS church, such as Gospel Principles, Preach My Gospel, and the Ensigns, and you can find more information at Mormon.org
Pretty much, this is my personal fictionalized take on it, and I am not an official representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and use some common sense as to this being a fictionalized piece of literature.
And We Come to the End of Our Knowledge...
You have lived your life, died, and then lived again. You have your body, and you will never be separated from it again. It is so much nicer than when you first had it, no more scrapes, bruises, scars, aches, pains, or illnesses, and you are in your prime.
Christ has come, and you have seen the fulfillments of scripture. The Millennium comes, and for a thousand years, it is the most amazing time of peace.
Yet, it passes in the blink of an eye, and it is now time for judgement day. It is done with incredible order that you recognize as your Heavenly Father's work. His house is a house of order. When it comes to be your turn, you are surprised when the person you come before is Jesus Christ, your brother. You were sure it would have been Heavenly Father, and you ask Him why that is.
His voice is kind and endearing as he tells you, "I have paid for you already. I have fulfilled the demands of justice, so I and my Father may give you mercy. You are mine."
You feel His love emanating around you, and you discuss your life with Him. He knows all about you--he already went through everything you went through--but He listens to you sincerely. As the interview comes to a close, He tells you about the many mansions of His father's kingdom, and He talks about who will be in each one.
"The Telestial," He starts, "is a place of glory and there will be some of your siblings there. They are just like the people you knew on
Earth, and it will be more glorious than Earth, with a brightness of
the stars in the night sky. Those who will go there will feel comfortable with each
other. They lived the same sort of lives, though they were not as valiant nor as righteous as they should have been," he gives a smile. "Do you feel worthy to
go to that kingdom? To have a mansion there?"
Your eyes widen. "A place of glory?" You think for a moment. "I wasn't as good as I should have been. Yes, I feel like I should be there."
"What about the Terrestrial?" He asks. "It is even more glorious than
the Telestial, as bright as a full moon in the sky. You can even see it in the light of day. Many good people
will be there, and they will enjoy their lives with those they knew
from Earth and their dear friends they knew from before. They are good
people, but they were not valiant in their testimonies or in following My example. Do you feel
worthy to go to the Terrestrial kingdom?"
"I think I'm a good person," you say, "and I tried to have a testimony."
He chuckles. "There is the Highest kingdom, where our Father lives. Did you love me and keep my commandments?"
"I tried, but I fell short a lot. I'm not perfect."
He shows you to a glorious place, brighter, whiter, more peaceful, and more joyful than you could have even imagined. You see your family there, people you didn't think you would see ever again after your life on Earth. You and your family rejoice at fulfilling Heavenly Father's plan, and you go with them to meet with your Heavenly Father, to honor and worship and hug your Father that you hadn't even known you had missed, but now, you couldn't imagine your life without.
You notice that there are people missing, and you search for them, and then you learned that they chose lower mansions. You go and visit, and as you speak with them, you learn of how they were so sad in Heavenly Father's presence, and how they just felt as if they did not belong there with the way they lived their lives, how they felt awful and dirty, but Heavenly Father knew that, and after they had come to Him, He directed them to their own glorious homes, their amazing rewards.
You visited the Terrestrial kingdom on occasion, and even though it took a moment to adjust from the brightness of being in Heavenly Father's presence, you were so in awe of its beauty. You were so happy for your friends having a place where they would be content.
You only visited the Telestial Kingdom once, and you didn't like it. It was like going from a bright afternoon to inside a house with all the shades pulled. It wasn't bad at all, but you noticed that Heavenly Father wasn't there. It was a magnificent place. You tried to compare it back to what your favorite places on Earth were, but your times on Earth was so much less fulfilling than what this level of Heaven offered. This place was beyond the words you knew when you were on Earth. You wouldn't have been able to describe it to yourself when you were a mortal human being. As you surveyed what occurred throughout your journey, back home in the Celestial with your family, you were filled with the love of Heavenly Father, reassuring you that you are His child, and that all of the plan was for you. You were amazed at how big the problems of life were to you then as you rejoiced in glory now. You now know why so many things had to happen, why others had to go through such awful things.
Echoes of words you heard in mortality come back to you. "Salvation is not a cheap experience." Christ paid the price for you. You went through those difficult challenges to rub off the rough spots and to strengthen the weak things.
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