Lessons 19 & 20: The Plan of Salvation and The Three Degrees of Glory

After talking about the 1836 Kirtland Temple dedication we are going to time travel--four years backwards. I'll try to pretend it isn't hard to jump through time like this--I need a TARDIS. You'll all have the chronology straight at the end, right?

16 February 1832 Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon received the vision that is recorded, in part, in Section 76 of today's Doctrine and Covenants. Often we think of Section 76 as the Vision of the Three Degrees of Glory, yet for a hundred years it was simply known as "the Vision."* It is not merely the vision of the three degrees of glory, but the vision encompasses the whole of the plan of salvation. It begins with the appearance of Christ in the bosom of the Father and follows the plan through pre-mortal life, mortality, the judgment, assignments to kingdoms, and nods further into eternity. Joseph and Sidney "were commanded to write [the vision down] while they were still in the Spirit" (76v113). See the manuscript copy of the revelation at the Joseph Smith Papers here.

In 1843 there was a poetic version of the vision published in the Times and Seasons under Joseph's name. Most likely W.W. Phelps wrote it, but it is an interesting expansion of the vision here.

I think we sometimes fail to identify Joseph's influence because of its ubiquity. Latter-day Saints see the gospel through a lens provided by Joseph Smith. It broadens our vision and likewise focuses it. "The Vision" was one of those things that changed everything significantly. Some of the Saints quickly accepted it and rejoiced in the "mysteries being revealed." Others, like Brigham Young, struggled to accept it because it went contrary the religious narrative of his upbringing.

My class will focus on Section 76 both weeks and supplement it with other restoration scripture. Roughly, the first week we will address verse 1 through at least v24 perhaps through to v38. We will increase that understanding with other sections in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Book of Mormon, and Pearl of Great Price to clearly establish the understanding of the Plan of Salvation as it came through Joseph Smith. This will include 2 Ne 2, Alma 34, Abraham 3, Moses 4-5. The second week we will continued on from 76v38 until the end particularly Alma 7 & 34.

The revelation was received in the home of Elsa (or Alice) and John Johnson in Hiram, Ohio--about 20 miles southeast of Kirtland. The Johnson's (not my Johnsons) home was headquarters for the church for about six months. The Johnsons even remodeled their house to better fit the needs of Joseph and the church. Read about the historical context to Section 76 in this article by Matthew McBride here. Section 76 is a vision that came after Joseph and Sidney asked questions regarding John 5:29 as they worked on their biblical translation. Read more about that process here in this article by Elizabeth Maki.

If you want to go in depth with the history behind the Ohio narrative I would strongly suggest Mark Staker's Hearken O Ye People: The Historical Setting of Joseph Smith's Ohio Revelations. As a member of the church historic sites team that worked on sites in both Hiram and Kirtland, Staker provides an expansive historical context for the Ohio period.

*What we call "the First Vision" today was not called "the First Vision" until the early twentieth century. Jim Allen's classic details this "Emergence of a Fundamental" here. If you need reminders about the historical accounts of the First Vision go back to here.

Lesson 18 - "Establish....A House of God"

This week we get to talk about the Kirtland Temple principally and temple ordinances in general. Please read Doctrine and Covenants Section 95, 109, and 110.

The Kirtland Temple was the first of five temples for which Joseph would dedicate land during his lifetime: Kirtland, Independance, Far West, Adam-Ondi-Ahman, and Nauvoo. Dedicating ground for a temple was always one of the first tasks when the Saints moved to a new location, even though only two of those temples would be built.

The Kirtland Temple was much more of a meetinghouse than our temples today (and was originally topaz blue!). The temple was dedicated on 27 March 1836 and the dedication was culminated when essential keys were restored the following Sunday 3 April 1836. The Kirtland Endowment was preparatory ordinances. The complete temple endowment was not introduced until 1842 in Joseph's Red Brick Store in Nauvoo.

Read Steve Harper's fabulous collection of primary sources for the Kirtland Temple dedication here. It is long, but fantastic. Also, Larry Porter and Milton Backman's classic look at the doctrinal function of the temple in Nauvoo here.

If you've read something about Elijah's appearance being concurrent with Passover, read this caution.