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What Did Early Christians Teach about the Three Degrees of Glory? #689 · Scripture Central

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  I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago.
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  Whether in the body I cannot tell or whether out of the body
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  I cannot tell. God knoweth such an one caught
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  up to the 3rd heaven. How that he was caught up into
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  paradise and heard unspeakable words, which is not lawful for a
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  man to utter. Hey listeners, this is Nick from
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  Scripture Central and today's podcast addresses the question,
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  What did early Christians teach about the three degrees of
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  Glory? On February 16th, 1832, Joseph
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  Smith and Sidney Rigden had a wondrous vision while they were
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  engaged in the inspired translation of the Bible in
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  Hiram. OH, that vision.
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  Since canonized as Doctrine and Covenant, Section 76
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  dramatically revealed that there were multiple levels of heaven,
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  each with their own glory. This system of heaven was
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  completely at odds with modern conceptions of heaven and hell.
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  However, while it may have been new to 19th century Christians,
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  one might wonder if such a doctrine was present in the
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  earliest teachings of the Christian Church.
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  Significantly, as scholars have studied ancient texts,
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  particularly those relating to ancient Judaism and
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  Christianity, a similar picture to the one revealed to Joseph
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  Smith emerges. Hugh Nibley was perhaps the
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  first latter day St. scholar to seriously demonstrate how
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  ancient texts pointed to this tiered view of heaven.
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  For example, he observed how Christian texts such as the
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  Pistus Sophia described how the multiple heavens are beyond the
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  veil. Furthermore, only the qualified
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  can pass by one of these veils until finally they enter the
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  presence of God. This doctrine was also closely
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  connected to the pre mortality of man and entailed our return
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  to our heavenly home from whence we came to earth.
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  Comparisons between Joseph Smith's revelations on the three
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  degrees of glory and early Christian teachings likewise
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  show considerable similarities. The Lord revealed to Joseph
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  Smith, for example, that the three levels of heaven were
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  comparable in glory to the sun, moon, and stars, each relating
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  to the celestial, terrestrial, and telestial kingdoms,
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  respectively. These three kingdoms of glory
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  would be inhabited by those who had lived the laws required to
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  enter therein, with the greatest of all blessings being available
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  in the celestial Kingdom, where God dwells.
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  A similar picture is found in Paul's first epistle to the
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  Corinthians. In his defense of the
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  resurrection, Paul states that there are also celestial bodies
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  and bodies terrestrial, but the glory of the celestial is 1 and
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  the glory of the terrestrial is another.
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  In other words, just as there are differences in the physical
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  bodies of mortal humans and animals, as discussed in verse
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  39, there are also differences between mortal bodies and
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  resurrected bodies. Furthermore, Paul taught that
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  just as there are differences between mortal and resurrected
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  bodies, not everyone would be filled with the same glory.
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  In the resurrection there is there is one glory of the sun,
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  another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars.
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  For one star differs from another star in glory, so also
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  is the resurrection of the dead. Many early Christians commented
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  upon this verse, viewing it in terms of multiple glories in the
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  resurrection. For example, John Chrysostom
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  noted that although there is only one resurrection, there
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  will be great differences of honor from one body to another,
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  and that although they be all in God's Kingdom, all shall not
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  enjoy the same reward. Similarly, Origin taught that
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  this verse referred to the great difference among those who rise
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  again in glory. Origin likewise taught that the
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  differing levels of heavenly glories related to one's ability
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  to dwell with God. The first two groups consisted
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  of Saints and other righteous individuals.
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  The most righteous are connected with the Father being part of
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  Him, and next to these are those who have come to the Savior and
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  take their stand entirely in Him.
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  A third group of resurrected people would consist of those
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  who never repented of idolatry in their lives, and yet a fourth
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  would be reserved for those who have fallen away not only from
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  the good itself, but from the very traces of it.
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  This description matches what was revealed to Joseph Smith.
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  Those in the celestial Kingdom would dwell in the presence of
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  God and his Christ forever and ever.
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  Those in the terrestrial Kingdom would receive of the presence of
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  the Son, but not of the fullness of the Father, while those in
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  the telestial Kingdom would not be able to receive either
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  blessing. A fourth group who committed the
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  unpardonable sin are also seen by Joseph Smith, who had denied
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  the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied
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  the only begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him
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  unto themselves and put him to an open shame.
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  Likewise, in Paul's second Epistle to the Corinthians, he
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  mentions the time that he was caught up to the 3rd heaven,
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  where he heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man
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  to utter. Scholars have long noted that
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  this vision is consistent with a wide variety of early Jewish and
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  Christian sources which note a visionary ascent to multiple
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  levels of heaven where they are taught things never to be shared
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  with those who were not initiated into the same
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  ordinances they had experienced. As such, Paul's reference to at
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  least three heavens fits neatly into both an ancient Christian
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  theology and the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
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  Other New Testament texts were likewise influential in the
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  early Christian's view of heaven.
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  For example, harkening back to the parable of the sower in
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  Matthew 13, Irenaeus taught that there is this distinction
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  between the habitation of those who produce an hundredfold and
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  that of those who produce sixtyfold and that of those who
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  produce thirtyfold. For the first will be taken up
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  into the heavens, the second will dwell in paradise.
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  The last will inhabit the city, and that was On this account the
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  Lord declared in my Father's house, are many mansions.
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  The spatial divisions of heaven into three distinct places based
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  upon one's righteousness is likewise found in other early
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  Christian texts, such as the Shepherd of Hermas or Apocryphon
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  of John. Well, early Christians taught
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  extensively about 3 levels of heaven, which Hugh Nibbley
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  observed was often connected with the doctrines of baptism
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  for the dead and Christ preaching in the world of
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  spirits. Later generations of Christians
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  came to reject such a robust plan of salvation, as Nibbley
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  observed. The whole doctrine, certainly an
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  important one, has no place in the teachings of the later
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  churches, ignorant as they were of the great plan of universal
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  salvation. The Lord would not leave such an
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  important doctrine lost to history, However, as he revealed
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  his great plan of salvation to ancient prophets, He restored
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  that knowledge to Joseph Smith in a dramatic vision.
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  Similarly, all Latter Day Saints can experience a similar vision
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  retold through the temple endowment as we symbolically and
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  ritually pass through the three heavens are taught unspeakable
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  words which it is not lawful for a man to utter outside of the
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  temple and finally symbolically enter the presence of God, just
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  as was experienced by ancient prophets and disciples of
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  Christ. Thank you for listening to this
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  presentation from Scripture Central.
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  For more information, please visit scripturecentral.org.