“Great Shall Be Their Reward and Eternal Shall Be Their Glory” and "I Will Lead You Along"
- CFMCorner
- 21 hours ago
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Videos, Podcasts, & Weekly Lesson Material
D&C 76
VIDEOS & PODCASTS
Media | Resource Links |
BYU RSC Library | |
Come Follow Church History with Lynne Hilton Wilson | |
Come Follow Me Kid | |
Come Follow Me Scott Woodward & Casey Griffiths | |
Come Follow Up | |
D&C Historical Background | |
Don't Miss This | |
Follow Him | |
Grounded with Barbara Morgan | |
Gospel For Kids | |
Seminary Decks | |
Hurricane Adult Religion Class | |
Latter Day Kids | |
Line Upon Line | |
Meridian Magazine Podcast | |
Our Mother's Knew It | |
Saving Talents | |
Scripture Study Central | D&C 76 |
Scripture Explorers | |
Scripture Gems | |
Scripture Insights | |
Talking Scripture | |
Teaching With Power | |
Thumb Follow Me | D&C 76 |
The Red Crystal | |
The Scriptures are Real | |
The Interpreter Foundation | D&C 76
|
Unshaken |
CHAPTER & SECTION SUMMARIES
D&C 76
Voices of the Restoration: Testimonies of “the Vision”
Revelations in Context
Saints:
Volume 1, Chapter 14 "Visions and Nightmares"
Volume 1, Chapter 15 "Holy Places"
Volume 1, Chapter 40 "United in an Everlasting Covenant"
D&C 77-80
VIDEOS & PODCASTS
Media | Resource Links |
BYU RSC Library | |
Come Follow Church History with Lynne Hilton Wilson | |
Come Follow Me Kid | |
Come Follow Me Scott Woodward & Casey Griffiths | |
Come Follow Up | |
D&C Historical Background | |
Don't Miss This | |
Follow Him | |
Grounded with Barbara Morgan | |
Gospel For Kids | |
Seminary Decks | |
Hurricane Adult Religion Class | |
Latter Day Kids | |
Line Upon Line | D&C 77-80 |
Meridian Magazine Podcast | D&C 77-80 |
Our Mother's Knew It | |
Saving Talents | |
Scripture Study Central | D&C 77-80
|
Scripture Explorers | |
Scripture Gems | |
Scripture Insights | |
Talking Scripture | |
Teaching With Power | |
Thumb Follow Me | D&C 77-80 |
The Red Crystal | |
The Scriptures are Real | D&C 77-80 |
The Interpreter Foundation | D&C 77-80 |
Unshaken |
CHAPTER & SECTION SUMMARIES
D&C 77
D&C 78
D&C 79
D&C 80
Revelations in Context
Essays on the background of each revelation
Saints
Volume 1, Chapter 14 "Visions and Nightmares"
Resources and Insights for this Week's Lesson
Thank you for your patience this week. I had to handle some urgent work projects, so I wasn't able to get last week's lesson out. So, I am combining both weeks' materials into this week's content, and I will continue to add the Chapter outlines over the weekend.
As you approach these sections, please keep in mind several key topics we've discussed. Remember our conversations about symbolism, the PaRDes model, and the principles for responsibly approaching apocalyptic literature. These foundational concepts are essential for understanding these materials properly. Even while reviewing podcasts for these lessons, I've noticed considerable speculation occurring, which can be problematic. Please exercise caution and do your homework. While there are amazing discoveries to be made in these materials, there are also many potential pitfalls that can cause a lot of confusion, so remain mindful.
Contrary to what many people think, sections 76 and 77 are more closely related than people realize. Both are examples of Throne Theophany—divine visions of God's heavenly court and celestial hierarchies. Joseph and Sidney's vision of the Heavenly Hierarchies are not unique. This is the same essential vision that John received in the book of Revelation, and other prophets have experienced similar revelations: Isaiah, Nephi, Lehi, Ezekiel, and others. However, different accounts focus on different aspects of the vision, which is understandable given how much there is to absorb. With this in mind, Joseph's questions in 77 appear to be clarifying things that he saw in his vision, not only topics he read in Revelation. This will become even more apparent as we examine another ancient record that is outlined below.
Many people assume that "The Vision" of heavenly hierarchies is unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, this is also an incorrect assumption. Records indicate that these concepts were understood in the early Church. However, much of that knowledge was lost over time for various reasons, which makes Joseph Smith's restoration of these principles all the more remarkable.
The Prophet's Vision: How Joseph Smith Restored Ancient Christian Truths Lost for Centuries
When Joseph Smith and Sydney Rigdon received their vision of three degrees of glory in 1832, they faced fierce opposition from Christian communities who viewed these teachings as radical departures from traditional faith. What they didn't know—and couldn't have known—was that this revelation actually restored ancient Christian beliefs that had been lost to the Western world for over a thousand years.
The controversial revelation that shook Christianity
Imagine the scandal this vision caused both within and outside the Church community. Joseph Smith's revelation about three kingdoms of heaven—celestial, terrestrial, and telestial—was so radically different from mainstream Christian teaching that it was met with immediate resistance, even from his own followers.
The problem wasn't just theological—it struck at the heart of what Christians had believed for centuries. For over 1,600 years, Christian doctrine had taught a simple binary: heaven for the saved, hell for the damned. Joseph's vision suggested something far more complex and merciful: multiple levels of glory where nearly everyone would receive some degree of heavenly reward.
The reaction was swift and harsh. Critics accused Joseph of making up doctrine to please people's ears. Even committed early members struggled with the revelation. Brigham Young later admitted it was "directly contrary and opposed to my former education." Some converts left the church entirely over this teaching, unable to reconcile it with their understanding of Christianity.
What makes this controversy particularly significant is that Joseph was essentially alone in proposing such ideas. The 1830s American religious landscape was dominated by revival movements emphasizing the urgent choice between salvation and damnation. Joseph's revelation of graduated heavens seemed to contradict not just popular Christianity, but Christianity itself.
The ancient text that was lost to the world
Here's where the story becomes truly remarkable. Unknown to anyone in Joseph's time, there existed an ancient Christian text that described a heavenly hierarchy strikingly similar to what Joseph revealed. This text, initially attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite—was believed to be written by a convert that the Apostle Paul mentioned in Acts 17:34—and this record had been gathering dust in monastic libraries for close to a millenium.
According to Dionysius "De Coelesti Hierarchia" (On the Celestial Hierarchy), the heavenly realm was recorded to be organized into nine orders of angelic beings arranged in three triadic hierarchies. These records describe a sophisticated hierarchy, with each level representing a successive progression to the proximity of God. It also describes higher orders ministering to lower ones, with all receiving divine illumination according to the communities ability to comprehend.
But here's the crucial point: this text was completely inaccessible to Joseph Smith or anyone else in the English-speaking world. No complete English translation existed until 1897—over fifty years after Joseph's death. The work survived only in Latin and Greek manuscripts locked away in European theological libraries. Even if Joseph had somehow known about these texts, he would have needed advanced university training in classical languages to read them.
The first scholars to seriously study these works didn't realize their true historical origins until 1895, when researchers J. Stiglmayr and H. Koch independently proved they were written centuries after the apostolic period, likely in the 5th-6th century CE.
The designation "Pseudo-Dionysius," was subsequently adopted following this scholarly discovery. It is important to understand that this recognition does not discredit the theological content nor diminish the significance of these materials. Rather, the existence of these records demonstrates that these hierarchical concepts were widely circulating in early Christian communities and they had been preserved by multiple devoted scholars for centuries.
While some try to dismiss Pseudonymous authorship as "forgeries," one must understand that this practice was very common and in many cases a respected literary convention of the era, where anonymous writers attributed their works to revered earlier figures as a gesture of honor and to connect their teachings with apostolic tradition—a practice seen even within the biblical canon , where several New Testament epistles are debated, particularly some that are traditionally attributed to Paul (i.e.1st & 2nd Timothy, Titus, & Ephesians). So, don't let the Pseudo-Dionysius title alarm you, this was a normal practice for the time and these writings were likely intended to connect to and expand upon Paul's teachings in 1 Corinthians 15:40-49, where Paul briefly introduced the three degrees of glory.
Ancient Manuscript References
Complete Greek: Περὶ τῆς Οὐρανίᾱς Ἱεραρχίᾱς (Peri tēs Ouraníās Hierarchíās), Sinai Saint Catherine Syria. Written in Greek and dated to ca. AD the 5th century, this is the earliest witness to the Areopagitic writings overall (Syriac translation)
Complete Latin:
"De Coelesti Hierarchia," The first translation, made around 838 by Hilduin, abbot of a monastery near Paris
John Scottus Eriugena, to make a new translation that he completed in 862 and that was subsequently revised with clarifications in 875
Partial References in other manuscripts
John of Scythopolis
Commentary: John of Scythopolis composed an extensive set (c. 600) of scholia (that is, marginal annotations) to the works of Dionysius
Influence: All Greek manuscripts of the Corpus Areopagiticum surviving today stem from an early sixth-century manuscript containing John's Scholia and Prologue
Dating: The commentary on the Corpus Dionysiacum composed by John of Scythopolis within 548 CE was expressly designed for the margins of the text
Translation History
Syriac: Sergius of Reshaina's early Syriac translation (early sixth century)
Latin Tradition: The Versio Dionysii of John Scottus Eriugena. A Study of the Manuscript Tradition and Influence of Eriugena's Translation of the Corpus Areopagiticum From the 9th through the 12th century
Scholastic Editions
Patrologia Graeca (Migne,1857 Greek, Latin)
Location: PG 3 Heavenly Heirarchy, Church Heirarchy, Divine Names, Mystical Theology, Epistles, Liturgy PG 4 On Ps-Dionysius: Maximus the Confessor (7th century), George Pachymeres (14th century) et al.
Volumes: PG 3: Dionysius the Areopagite, pt. 1 · PG 4: Dionysius the Areopagite, pt. 2
Details: Almost all the Greek writings have a Latin translation on the facing column
Modern Critical Editions
Heil & Ritter: G. Heil, A. M. Ritter, Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita. De Coelesti Hierarchia, De Ecclesiastica Hierarchia, De Mystica Theologia, Epistulae (1991) ISBN 978-3-11-012041-7
Shrine of Wisdom: Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita, De Coelesti Hierarchia, Surrey, 1935. Shrine of Wisdom ISBN 978-0-90066-403-8
Corrigan, Kevin and L. Michael Harrington, "Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2023 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2023/entries/pseudo-dionysius-areopagite/>.
Free Online Digital Resources:
Remarkable parallels across the centuries
When we compare Joseph's 1832 revelation with Dionysius' ancient writings, the similarities are striking:
Multiple levels of heaven: While mainstream Christianity taught a simple heaven-hell division, both Joseph and Dionysius described complex, graduated levels of heavenly existence. Dionysius organized celestial beings into nine orders of three groups; Joseph likewise revealed three kingdoms of varying glory.
Divine light flowing downward: Both systems teach that divine light flows from higher to lower levels. Dionysius wrote that superior angels "possess the illuminations and powers of their subordinates" and pass divine knowledge downward. Joseph's revelation similarly describes how beings in higher kingdoms minister to those in lower ones.
Receiving according to capacity: Perhaps most significantly, both taught that beings receive divine light according to the level of their spiritual capacity. Dionysius emphasized that divine illumination comes "according to their merit" and "in accordance with the unchangeable fashioning of those who are being perfected." Joseph's revelation states that beings can only receive what they can "abide" and are assigned based on "the desire of their hearts."
Spiritual progression: Both systems view the hierarchy not as a fixed caste system, but as organized around spiritual growth and development toward greater divine understanding.
Dionysius' Three-Tiered Heavenly System
First Hierarchy - "Angels of Presence": The Greek term Hierarchy, literally means "sacred ruling," and it was frequently used to refer to temple or priestly order (Hieros + archo). Dionysius describes beings from this order who dwell with God, these individuals have attained exalted minds and have been freed from stains and blemish. They are symbolically represented as Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones dwelling closest to God's throne. The Seraphim with six wings burn with divine love and continuously worship God (consider the structure of the Menorah). The Cherubim, described with four faces (human, lion, ox, and eagle), possess the "fullness of knowledge" and guard sacred spaces. The Thrones appear as great wheels covered with eyes (wisdom, insight), embodying God's justice.
Note: These are all temple themes that appear in other apocalyptic writings as well, such as: The two six-branched Menorahs flanking the Ark of the Covenant, which represents the Mercy Seat protected by Cherubim, The Garden of Eden- Cherubim guarding the Tree of Life, Ezekiel's Vision of Cherubim and the Wheels within Wheels following the destruction of Jerusalem, and John’s description in Revelation.
Second Hierarchy - "Cosmic Governors": Dominions, Virtues, and Powers regulate cosmic order and natural laws. They serve as divine middle management, receiving illumination from the first hierarchy and directing it toward earthly affairs.
Third Hierarchy - "The Messengers": Principalities, Archangels, and Angels interact most directly with humanity and the material world, serving as guardians of nations, deliverers of divine messages, and individual guides.
Striking Parallels with Joseph's Revelations: This ancient system remarkably aligns with Joseph Smith's revelations. D&C 76's three degrees of glory mirror Dionysius' three hierarchies, each with different capacities for divine light.
More striking connection is found in D&C 77, where Joseph asked about "the four beasts" mentioned in Revelation, including questions about heavenly classes and orders. His answer describes them as having faces of a lion, calf, man, and eagle - identical to Dionysius' and Ezekiels’s Cherubim - representing "the glory of the classes of beings in their destined order or sphere of creation."
Dyonisius' and Joseph's descriptions of the movement of the Seraphim, the protection of the Cherubim, and the vision and knowledge in connection with the eyes and wings depict the same interpretations, with Dionysius' going into further detail.
Both systems use the same symbolic language and structure to describe God's organized eternal kingdom, despite Joseph or anyone else having access to these ancient records.
The prophetic significance
The implications of these parallels are profound. Joseph Smith, a young man with limited formal education living on the American frontier, revealed theological principles that aligned perfectly with sophisticated early Christian thought that wouldn't be rediscovered by scholars for another fifty to sixty years, and even then, these writings are still obscure to most Christians and scholars to this day.
This pattern—Joseph receiving revelations that later proved to align with ancient texts unknown in his time—appears repeatedly in his prophetic ministry. But the degrees of glory revelation is particularly compelling because of how controversial it was. If Joseph were simply making up appealing doctrines, why choose something so divisive? Why risk alienating followers and facing fierce criticism?
The answer suggests itself: Joseph was receiving genuine revelation that restored ancient truths, regardless of their popularity. His willingness to teach such controversial doctrine, combined with its later vindication through scholarly discovery, supports his prophetic calling.
How early Christianity lost these truths
The question naturally arises: if these were early Christian beliefs, how did they disappear? The answer lies in the historical development of Christian doctrine. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and became institutionalized, many early teachings were simplified or abandoned.
Several factors contributed to this loss:
Challenges to Trinitarian Dogma: While Dionysius wasn't explicitly anti-Trinitarian, his works consistently use the term "Godhead," and contained several elements that challenged developing orthodox formulations. No theologian in the first three Christian centuries was a trinitarian in the sense of a believing that the one God is tri-personal, containing equally divine "persons", Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and several “heretical” groups were using Dyonysis’ writings to challenge the growing monotheistic consensus. Dionysius wrote just as Trinitarian doctrine was becoming rigidly defined (5th-6th centuries). His more fluid, mystical approach to divine persons and emanations didn't fit the increasingly systematized doctrine emerging from the authoritative councils.
Political pressures: As Christianity became the official religion of Rome, complex theological concepts were often simplified for mass appeal and political unity.
Language barriers: As the church moved from Greek to Latin in the West, many Eastern Christian texts were no longer accessible to Western theologians.
Institutional consolidation: Church councils standardized doctrine, sometimes at the expense of earlier, more nuanced teachings.
Persecution and war: Many early manuscripts were lost during invasions, persecution, and the general chaos of the medieval period.
By Joseph Smith's time, these ancient perspectives on heavenly hierarchy had been so thoroughly forgotten that his revelation seemed completely foreign, revolutionary rather than restorative.
A validation of prophetic calling
For those who accept Joseph Smith as a prophet, the degrees of glory revelation provides powerful validation of his calling. The fact that his most controversial teaching aligned so closely with ancient Christian thought unavailable in his time suggests divine inspiration rather than human innovation.
The revelation also demonstrates the restorative nature of Joseph's mission. Rather than inventing new doctrines, he was recovering eternal truths that had been lost through the "great apostasy" he taught about. His role was not as an innovator but as a restorer, bringing back to earth knowledge that had been preserved in heaven but lost among mortals.
The merciful doctrine hidden in ancient wisdom
Perhaps most importantly, both Joseph's revelation and Dionysius' ancient text reveal a God far more merciful than traditional Christianity portrayed. Instead of the harsh binary of heaven and hell, they present a divine order where nearly everyone receives some degree of glory according to their capacity and desires.
This doctrine offers hope to those troubled by questions of divine justice: What about those who never heard the gospel? What about those who tried to live good lives but weren't Christian? What about the billions who lived before Christ? Both Joseph's revelation and the ancient texts suggest that God's mercy extends far beyond what mainstream Christianity taught.
Conclusion: Ancient wisdom restored
The story of Joseph Smith's degrees of glory revelation is ultimately a story about the restoration of lost truth. At a time when Christianity had settled into rigid doctrinal patterns, a young prophet received a vision that seemed revolutionary but was actually ancient. His willingness to teach such controversial doctrine, despite fierce opposition, speaks to the genuineness of his calling and character.
The later discovery of parallel ancient texts validates what Latter-day Saints had long believed: that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet called to restore eternal truths that had been lost from the earth. His revelation didn't contradict early Christianity—it restored it.
For those seeking evidence of Joseph Smith's prophetic calling, the degrees of glory revelation provides compelling testimony. The odds against a frontier farmer randomly aligning with sophisticated ancient Christian theology unavailable in his time stretch credibility beyond the breaking point. The simpler explanation is that Joseph Smith was exactly what he claimed to be: a prophet called to restore ancient truths for the blessing of all God's children.
In recovering this lost doctrine, Joseph didn't just restore theological knowledge—he restored hope, revealing a God whose love and justice extend far beyond what previous generations could imagine. That may be the greatest miracle of all.
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