This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Doctrine and Covenants 76, which includes the Lord’s teachings about eternity’s three degrees of glory.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about those sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.
3 degrees of glory
“To help us develop the godly attributes and the change in nature necessary to realize our divine potential, the Lord has revealed doctrine and established commandments based on eternal law. This is what we teach in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because the purpose of the doctrine and policies of this restored Church is to prepare God’s children for salvation in the celestial glory and, more particularly, for exaltation in its highest degree.
“The covenants made and the blessings promised to the faithful in the temples of God are the key. This explains our worldwide building of temples, about which the choir has sung so beautifully. Some are puzzled at this emphasis, not understanding that the covenants and ordinances of the temple guide us toward achieving exaltation. This can be understood only in the context of the revealed truth of three degrees of glory. Because of our Heavenly Father’s great love for all of His children, He has provided other kingdoms of glory … all of which are more wonderful than we can comprehend (see Doctrine and Covenants 76:89).
“The Atonement of Jesus Christ makes all of this possible. He has revealed that He ‘glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:43). That salvation is granted in different kingdoms of glory.”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2022 general conference, “Divine Love in the Father’s Plan”
“The intent of the Father’s plan of mercy is to extend mercy as you turn back to Him and honor your covenant of fidelity to Him. It is not to deny mercy and inflict pain and sorrow.
“The intent of the Father’s plan of salvation is in fact your salvation in the celestial kingdom of glory as you receive ‘the testimony of Jesus’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:51) and offer your whole soul to Him. It is not to keep you out.”
— Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2024 general conference, “God’s Intent Is To Bring You Home”
“One of the numerous examples of Joseph Smith’s prophetic role is found in the 76th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. It is an explicit record of the vision of heaven, including kingdoms of glory, which the Prophet Joseph and Sidney Rigdon were blessed to receive on Feb. 16, 1832. At that time, the vast majority of churches were teaching that the Savior’s Atonement would not provide salvation for most people. It was believed that a few would be saved and the vast majority would be doomed to hell and damnation, including endless tortures ‘of the most awful and unspeakable intensity.’
“The revelation contained in the 76th section provides a glorious vision of the degrees of glory where the vast majority of Heavenly Father’s children who were valiant in their premortal estate are profoundly blessed following the ultimate judgment. The vision of the three degrees of glory, the lowest of which ‘surpasses all understanding,’ is a direct refutation of the then strong but erroneous doctrine that the majority would be doomed to hell and damnation.
“When you realize Joseph Smith was only 26 years old, had a limited education and had little or no exposure to the classical languages from which the Bible was translated, he was truly an instrument in the Lord’s hands.”
— Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2022 general conference, “Conversion to the Will of God”
“We know that two centuries after the Restoration, the spirit world now includes many mortally experienced workers to accomplish the preaching that occurs there. We also know that we now have many more temples to perform the ordinances of eternity for those who repent and embrace the Lord’s gospel on either side of the veil of death. All of this furthers our Heavenly Father’s plan. God’s love is so great that, except for the few who deliberately become sons of perdition, He has provided a destiny of glory for all of His children (see Doctrine and Covenants 76:43).”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2020 general conference, “The Great Plan”
‘I, the Lord ... delight to honor those who serve me’
“Selflessly serving is the very essence of Christlike discipleship. But serving is rarely convenient. This is why I admire you covenant-keeping disciples, including our dear missionaries, who set aside your desires and challenges to serve God by serving His children. God ‘delights to honor [you for serving Him] in righteousness.’ He promises, ‘Great shall be [your] reward and eternal shall be [your] glory’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:5-6). When we say yes to serving, we are saying yes to Jesus Christ. And when we say yes to Christ, we are saying yes to the most abundant life possible.”
— Elder Steven D. Shumway, General Authority Seventy, April 2025 general conference, “Participate To Prepare for Christ’s Return”
“‘My soul delighteth in the things of the Lord’ (2 Nephi 4:16) — His law, His life, His love. To delight in Him is to acknowledge His hand in our lives. Our gospel duty is to do what is right and to love and delight in what is right. When we delight to serve Him, our Father in Heaven delights to bless us. ‘I, the Lord … delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:5). I want to be worthy always of His delight.”
— Sister Susan W. Tanner, then the recently released Young Women general president, April 2008 general conference, “My Soul Delighteth in the Things of the Lord”
‘He lives’
“Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon recorded the following after a sacred experience:
“‘And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
“‘For we saw him’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:22–23).
“Their words are my words.
“I believe and I am sure that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that He lives. He is the Only Begotten of the Father, and ‘by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:24).
“I bear my witness that the Savior lives. I know the Lord. I am His witness. I know of His great sacrifice and eternal love for all of Heavenly Father’s children. I bear my special witness in all humility but with absolute certainty.”
— The late President Boyd K. Packer, then the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2014 general conference, “The Witness”
“Joseph Smith’s testimony of Jesus is that He lives, ‘for [he] saw him, even on the right hand of God; and [he] heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father’ (D&C 76:23; see also verse 22). I appeal to all who hear or read this message to seek through prayer and study of the scriptures that same witness of the divine character, the Atonement, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Accept His doctrine by repenting, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then throughout your life following the laws and covenants of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
— Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2012 general conference, “The Doctrine of Christ”
“Among the most marvelous of revelations ever given to man is the 76th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, often referred to simply as ‘The Vision.’ This vision may have been one of the Prophet Joseph’s most powerful and significant spiritual experiences. As he and Sidney Rigdon prayed to understand the resurrection of the just and the unjust, this glorious vision — or actually a series of six visions — burst upon them. Joseph and Sidney literally conversed with the Lord for about an hour and a half as the Savior showed them what Joseph later described as ‘eternity sketched in a vision from God, of what was, and now is and yet is to be.’ As it commenced, the two men viewed the glory of the Son of God on the right hand of the Father and were moved to exclaim: ‘And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
“‘For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-23). …
“What a wondrous experience for the Prophet Joseph and Sidney. For more than an hour, the Lord showed them our premortal life, earth life and life after death. As a result of that revelation, mankind’s understanding of Heavenly Father’s plan for our eternal happiness and peace was expanded and enhanced to a remarkable degree.”
— The late President M. Russell Ballard, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1998 general conference, “Marvelous Are the Revelations of the Lord”
‘Valiant in the testimony of Jesus’
“These comments are for the essentially ‘honorable’ members who are skimming over the surface instead of deepening their discipleship and who are casually engaged rather than ‘anxiously engaged’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:75; 58:27). Though nominal in their participation, their reservations and hesitations inevitably show through. They may even pass through our holy temples, but, alas, they do not let the holy temples pass through them.
“Such members accept callings but not all of the accompanying responsibilities; hence, their Church chores must often be done by those already ‘anxiously engaged.’ Some regard themselves as merely ‘resting’ in between Church callings. But we are never in between as to this soaring call from Jesus: ‘What manner of men [and women] ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am’ (3 Nephi 27:27). It is never safe to rest regarding that calling. In fact, being ‘valiant’ in one’s testimony of Jesus includes striving to become more like Him in mind, heart and attributes (Doctrine and Covenants 76:79). Becoming this manner of men and women is the ultimate expression of orthodoxy.”
— The late Elder Neal A. Maxwell, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1992 general conference, “‘Settle This in Your Hearts’”
“Speaking of those who will eventually receive the blessings of the celestial kingdom, the Lord said to Joseph Smith: ‘They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:51). These are they who are valiant in their testimony of Jesus, who, as the Lord has declared ‘overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:53).
“‘Those who are just and true.’ What an apt expression for one valiant in the testimony of Jesus. They are courageous in defending truth and righteousness. These are members of the Church who magnify their callings in the Church, pay their tithes and offerings, live morally clean lives, sustain their Church leaders by word and action, keep the Sabbath as a holy day and obey all the commandments of God. …
“Concerning those who will receive the terrestrial, or lesser, kingdom, the Lord said, ‘These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:79). Not to be valiant in one’s testimony is a tragedy of eternal consequence. These are members who know this latter-day work is true, but who fail to endure to the end. Some may even hold temple recommends, but do not magnify their callings in the Church. Without valor, they do not take an affirmative stand for the kingdom of God. Some seek the praise, adulation and honors of men; others attempt to conceal their sins; and a few criticize those who preside over them.”
— The late President Ezra Taft Benson, then the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1982 general conference, “Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus”
