I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell.

God knoweth.

Such and one caught up to the third heaven.

How that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which is not lawful for a man to utter.

Hey listeners, this is Nick from Scripture Central, and today's podcast addresses the question,

What did early Christians teach about the three degrees of glory?

On February 16, 1832, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon had a wondrous vision while they were engaged in the

inspired translation of the Bible in Hiram, Ohio. That vision, since canonized as Doctrine and

Covenants Section 76, dramatically revealed that there were multiple levels of heaven, each with their

own glory. This system of heaven, each with their own glory.

This system of heaven was completely at odds with modern conceptions of heaven and hell.

However, while it may have been new to 19th century Christians,

one might wonder if such a doctrine was present in the earliest teachings of the Christian church.

Significantly, as scholars have studied

ancient texts, particularly those relating to ancient Judaism and Christianity, a similar

picture to the one revealed to Joseph Smith emerges. Hugh Nibbley was perhaps the first

Latter-day Saints scholar to seriously demonstrate how ancient texts

pointed to this tiered view of heaven. For example, he observed how Christian texts,

such as the Pistis Sophia, described how the multiple heavens are beyond the veil.

Furthermore, only the qualified can pass by one of these veils until finally they enter

the presence of God. This doctrine was also closely connected to the premortality of man,

and entailed our return to our heavenly home from whence we came to earth.

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