When Joseph Smith received the vision that is recorded in Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants, it rocked the church. It is a singular revelation. I want to explain a little why it was so remarkable.
Uniqueness in Christian Theology
It was a departure from all the prominent views of life after death held by Christian churches of the time and of today. There were three main views of life after death held among Christians in Joseph Smith's time.
There were the Calvinists who believed that, because God is all knowing and all powerful, nothing mortals can do will change God's plan for their destiny. I have been reading the book of Romans in the Bible, and find that there is support for this idea in the writings of Paul. According to the Calvinists, a small number of God's elect will go to heaven, and everyone else is bound for hell. The Vision contradicts almost everything in the Calvinist beliefs because it claims people are assigned a glory because of their decisions.
In opposition to the Calvinists there were the Universalists. Joseph Smith's father was a Universalist. They believed that it is unfathomable that a loving God would create people only to condemn them to eternal punishment. Therefore, even though people will be punished for their sins, they will eventually be saved in heaven. This is closer to the ideas put forth in The Vision. In The Vision, almost all of the classes of people will receive a kingdom of glory, but the quality of that reward varies widely dependent on the person's decisions. The Vision also suggests there are some who will not qualify for any kingdom of glory, the sons of perdition, and this is not in line with Unitarianism.
The rest of Christians who had a dualistic view of the afterlife. The righteous would earn a place in Heaven, and the wicked would be consigned to Hell. Catholics add a third destination, purgatory, which is like the suffering of the wicked until the final judgement mentioned in Section 76:85. The main difference between the Catholic view and The Vision is, again, the different levels of glory afforded. Also, in the Vision, it is implied, that a much smaller percent of people will merit eternal punishment.
Uniqueness in Latter-Day Scripture
This doctrine of different degrees of glory is not found in any other scripture. There is a hint of it in 1 Corinthians 15:40-50, but only a hint. There is no mention of this in the Book of Mormon. Book of Mormon prophets saw the afterlife as dualistic. In Alma 40:11 Alma describes the temporary assignment to paradise or prison while awaiting judgement, (which isn't really stated here in Section 76, except for that the wicked will suffer for their sins) but there is no clue about Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial kingdoms. In fact, the term "Telestial" is first introduced into the English language in The Vision. It comes from a Greek word, "tele" which means far. (as seen in our words telescope and telegraph. So the Telestial kingdom is the one furthest from God.)
The Law of Witnesses
Because this doctrine doesn't appear anywhere else, God reveals it to two people. God generally follows the "law of witnesses" which states, "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Corinthians 13). Section 76 was received by both Joseph and Sidney Rigdon, and in the presence of several other men. During the vision one of the men would say, "I see....." and the other would respond, "I see it as well." Having two people experience The Vision in the presence of others greatly enhances its credibility.
Incompleteness of The Vision
As remarkable as The Vision was, it is, in a way, incomplete. There are verses in section 76 that seem to suggest that if a person doesn't have a chance to receive the Gospel in this life, he is consigned to a lower kingdom (v. 72-73). One must remember that this revelation was given seven years before the principle of vicarious temple work for the dead was revealed in Nauvoo. In Section 137 of the Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph Smith learns that those who die without the chance to receive the Gospel will have the chance in the next life (v. 7-9). This suggests the possibility of movement between kingdoms based on decisions made after death.
The church has no official doctrine about whether people can progress between kingdoms in the afterlife. Some church leaders have preached one way and others another. There was a letter that was circulated in the 1950's from the office of the first presidency that stated:
"The brethren direct me to say that the Church has never announced a definite doctrine upon this point. Some of the brethren have held that it was possible in the course of progression to advance from one glory to another, invoking the principle of eternal progression; others of the brethren have taken the opposite view. But as stated, the Church has never announced a definite doctrine on this point."
This is the only official statement to date on this topic.
Musings
My question about section 76 is this: Does it replace a dualistic view of the afterlife with one with just a few more divisions, or does it suggest a much more expansive view of judgement. I personally think that what it is really suggesting is that final judgement is tailored to individual personality and circumstances. I believe God knows us and loves us and will prepare a place for us and give us responsibilities that are perfectly suited for our happiness in the next life. The reward I receive will be different than what anyone else will receive, and that is OK. When I was young I was determined to qualify for the Eternal Life in the top third of the Celestial Kingdom. I don't actually think about it much anymore. I now mostly just put myself in God's hands. If he wants to prepare me for exaltation in the highest kingdom of heaven, I will try to go along. If, however, he needs some people to stay as support crew, that is also a very important and laudable station, and I will be content with that. I also personally believe that progression continues after death, with this life's experiences and growth only constituting one small part of a much bigger journey.
