Since the revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 76 was inspired by Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible, it’s not surprising that it contains a large number of biblical allusions and paraphrases. According to the revelation itself, it came as Joseph and Sidney Rigdon meditated about the meaning of a specific verse — John 5:29 — which is about differentiated outcomes of the resurrection. However, in explaining that passage, the Lord pulls concepts and phrases from a variety of other biblical passages, many of which also appear in the Book of Mormon. This revelation is therefore a good example of the Savior’s unifying teaching style, described by Mormon as “[expounding] all the scriptures in one” (3 Nephi 23:14).
Here are some of those biblical references, grouped into categories:
1. A universal and supernal message
The revelation opens with a call to attention directed to an expansive audience. This call mirrors the opening verse of the Book of Isaiah, which is itself a paraphrase of a passage from Deuteronomy:
| Doctrine and Covenants 76:1 | Isaiah 1:2 | Deuteronomy 32:1 |
|---|---|---|
| Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, and rejoice ye inhabitants thereof, for the Lord is God, and beside him there is no Savior. | Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken. | Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. |
All of those passages hearken back to the opening line of the Old Testament: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). So, this revelation, like the words of Moses and Isaiah, is addressed to all of God’s creations.
The Lord subsequently references two other Isaiah passages which emphasize the supremacy of His knowledge. Both passages also appear in the New Testament and in the Book of Mormon:
The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
Isaiah 29:14; see also 2 Nephi 27:26; 1 Corinthians 1:19; Doctrine and Covenants 76:9
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
Isaiah 64:4; see also 3 Nephi 17:16; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Doctrine and Covenants 76:10
At the end of the revelation, this theme returns, as Joseph and Sidney testify, “great and marvelous are the works of the Lord” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:114), a reference to Revelation 15:3, which is also echoed by Lehi in 1 Nephi 1:14. They then affirm that many things were revealed to them which “are not lawful for man to utter” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:115; see also 2 Corinthians 12:4; 3 Nephi 28:13-14).
2. Fallen angels
The Lord’s description of those who will not receive any glory begins with a fallen angel: “Lucifer, a son of the morning” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:26; see also Isaiah 14:12; 2 Nephi 24:12). The description of his fall draws heavily on numerous phrases from the book of Revelation, including “that old serpent, even the devil” (Revelation 12:9; 20:2; see also 2 Nephi 2:18), “[making] war with the saints” (Revelation 13:7; see also Daniel 7:21), and being cast “into the lake of fire and brimstone” (Revelation 19:20; 20:10; 21:8; 2 Nephi 9:16, 19, 26), together with those who intentionally and permanently choose to follow him.
Those fallen angels are in fact the only ones who, as Jesus taught, would have “no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:34; Matthew 12:31-32; see also Alma 39:6). They are the ones whom Paul called “vessels of wrath” (Romans 9:22), because their anger never ends; they are unable to overcome their bitterness and be reconciled with God. Therefore, they are the only ones who endure what John the Revelator called “the second death” (Revelation 20:6, 14; 21:8; see also Jacob 3:11; Alma 12:16). Isaiah described their eternal self-torment by saying, “their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched” (Isaiah 66:24; see also Mark 9:44, 46, 48).
3. Kingdoms of glory
The revelation emphasizes that there are “many mansions” in the next life (Doctrine and Covenants 76:111; John 14:2). It divides these into three categories, elaborating on Paul’s comparison of resurrected bodies with the sun, the moon, and the stars (1 Corinthians 15:40-41; Doctrine and Covenants 76:70-71, 78, 81, 96-98).
In His description of the highest glory, which He calls “celestial,” the Lord draws heavily on the epistle to the Hebrews, where eternal life is described as “mount Sion…the city of the living God,” filled with “an innumerable company of angels.” The people who dwell there are called “the general assembly and church of the firstborn,” and are identified as “just men made perfect” through the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:22-23; Doctrine and Covenants 76:66-67, 69). The revelation also calls them “priests and kings” (echoing Revelation 1:6; 5:10), and “priests after the order of Melchizedek” (mirroring Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 5; 7). Finally, it says, “They are gods,” quoting from Psalm 82:6 (see also John 10:34).
The revelation describes the recipients of the middle, “terrestrial,” glory mostly in terms of what they lack. They die “without law” (Romans 2:12). They are “spirits in prison” (1 Peter 3:19). They are honorable but blinded by the “craftiness” of men (Ephesians 4:14). They are not valiant in “the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17). Therefore they “obtain not the crown” (see 1 Corinthians 9:24-25).
The Lord identifies the inhabitants of the lowest kingdom of glory, “telestial,” by referencing Paul’s criticism of the Corinthians, who identified as followers of Paul, Apollos, or Cephas, instead of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4-6). He also said that they would suffer “the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 1:7), but that spirits would minister to them, “for they shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).
4. Our Savior, Jesus Christ
The central message of the revelation is that Jesus Christ is the source of eternal glory:
- He sits at the right hand of the Father (v. 20; Hebrews 1:3; Moroni 7:27; 9:26).
- He bore the sins of the world (v. 41; Isaiah 53:12; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Nephi 11:33).
- He suffered alone, treading the “wine-press” for us (v. 107; Isaiah 63:3; Revelation 19:15).
- He will subdue all enemies under his feet (v. 61, 106; Psalm 8:6; 1 Corinthians 15:25-28).
- He will come in the clouds of heaven (v. 63; Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 24:30).
- He is the judge of all and the mediator of the new covenant (v. 68-69; Hebrews 12:23-24).
- In the end, “all shall bow the knee, and every tongue confess” that His judgments are just (v. 110, Philippians 2:10-11; Mosiah 27:31).
Conclusion
Today, I will give thanks for the magnitude of God’s plan for us and for the intricate tapestry of revealed truth which gives us perspective and context for our mortal experience.
Leave a Reply